Barton Must Pay
by ginkies
Summary: After returning to active duty in SWORD Agent Robyn 'Wonder' Flynn walks into one mission that throws everything she knew about a certain archer into the air. Now she's out for revenge, fueled by Tesseract energy. The only thing on her mind is Barton Must Pay. Au OC/Clint Lots of Whumpage, some swearing. Contin. of Wonder.
1. Listen To Your Gut

So this is the continuation of Wonder. It probably helps to read it, but I wont go make you all. I know a few of you wanted a different ending to the last story, but true love isn't that easy. I really hope you enjoy this story. I don't own Marvel, The Avengers or even Jeremy Renner, because if I did... *sigh* I wouldn't be here for sure ;)

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Chapter one: Listen To Your Gut.

I sat in the back of the Quin jet and sighed to myself. It had been a year and a half since my glorious return to SWORD. I spent the first six months in training and assessments to make sure I was _fit for duty_. What they really wanted to know is what I could do with my tesseract energy. I know Deputy Director Brand had read the reports, thankfully everyone had missed out my little mind control trick. SWORD, just like SHIELD wanted to use the power, exploit me as a weapon. I jumped through all the hoops they put in front of me and I was finally given the green light. As soon as I was combat ready there was only one person I was going to partner up with; but while I was away he had formed his own task force so I joined in. We were SWORDs Avengers, because SHIELD couldn't have something SWORD didn't. They were always competing to be the best in everything. I smirked to myself as I looked around the group sat by comparing them with The Avengers.

_Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to The Alliance, SWORDs answer to The Avengers. Let's start with Natasha Romanov- Black Widow, our equal is Dimitri Leonidas- Maverick. Dimitri is tall at around 6'7" with short black hair and piercing jade green eyes. He's half Russian, half Greek. His mother was a ballet dancer and his father a government liaison to Russia. Dimitri has the looks of a male model, with the ego to boot. He's a great agent and he was my partner long before I lost my mind. There was a time when we were more, but the Hulk attack changed all that. Not that Dimitri hasn't stopped flirting with me every chance he gets._ I smirked watching Dimitri check his clips for the third time. I knew it was his ritual for getting ready. He always liked to be prepared, and with a shot like his, sometimes he only needed one bullet to end the war.

_Ok, so next let's tackle Steve Rodgers- Captain America, ours is Gunnery Sargent Wei Choi- Knight. Ignore the name, Wei is the all American American from Iowa. Yes his parents are Chinese, but Wei is so westernised it's unnerving sometimes. Wei is as tall as any of the guys, with black hair and dark brown eyes. He makes our Cap because Wei is the only person to survive being injected with the best super solider serum SWORD has. It makes him almost as strong as Cap._ I turned my attention to Choi and watched as he was talking softly to our next Alliance member.

_Next has to be Thor, demi god of thunder. Ours is Marvin, yes Marvin the Martian. Ok so Marvin might not be from Mars, but he is from outta space. A planet called Atlantis, when he has the control of water. Normally you'd mistake Marvin for another beach bum, shaggy blonde hair, brown eyes, tanned skin. But when he uses his power over water things change. His eyes turn a deep blue, his hair black blue and even his skin get a blue tinge to it._ Marvin was laughing with Wei about a joke. The pair were really good friends, and it was nice that they had bonded so well.

_Well next we're a man short so lets just mix Bruce Banner – Hulk and Tony Stark -Ironman into one. Let me introduce genius, mentally unstable at times, brilliant, inventor Doctor James Jekyll. Unlike his great grandfather James doesn't turn into a monster full of rage like Bruce. But he has inherited his families crazy gene. James is a brilliant scientist and can pretty much build anything he puts his mind too, however he had psychotic breaks where he looses his grip on reality. James has been working really hard on not loosing it and since I've worked with him, I've only every seen two breaks. James has short ginger hair, freckles and blue eyes. He is brilliant in battle, using all his new guns to their best._ James sat reading through something on a small tablet. Clearly it was amusing him by the small smile that was crossing his lips as his eyes scanned the words.

_Well folks I guess that leaves me, if I had to be compared to any of The Avengers I guess I'm Clint Barton- Hawkeye. Using my codename Wonder I'm just that- a wonder. Just a normal agent infused with some space power no one can truly figure out. I've finally got control of the power, it doesn't affect me like it used to unless I over do it. The nightmares haven't left me though. I still wake in a cold sweat from Loki or Clint's memories. I'm happy being back in a team, this team. But it's not the same as the Avengers and I think nothing will ever been like that time again. _I glanced down at my wrists and noticed the bracelet Bruce had slipped into my pocket just before I left. He told me it meant they would be able to contract me and always know where I was. So far it had been nothing but a piece of jewellery. _Maybe he said it just to make you feel better... _I sighed shaking away the memories of my last day with The Avengers. I had to focus on the here and now. This here and now consisted of the mission we were about to undertake.

* * *

The Quin jet landed with a small thud and we disembarked. The job was simple enough. Break into the building, make our way to the top floor, hack big bosses computer, go home. Simple right? Well not so much when the security on the building made fort knocks look like a theme park.

"We all know what we doing?" Dimitri asked strapping his guns to his thighs. Dimitri was clearly the leader of the group, he just took charge.

"Me and Choi take the guards." Marvin stated cracking his neck as he warmed up.

"We don't kill anyone, just keep them busy." Wei added looking from Marvin to the rest of us, as if to tell Marvin not to kill. I smirked a little looking away as Marvin rolled his eyes.

"Right. Then me, James and Flynn make our way to the top two floors." Dimitri explained with a quick nod to me and James.

"You cover James while I keep the floor clear." I added smiling a little.

"Then I hack the shit out of the system, pack up and we all go home for beers." James beamed.

"Simple." I joked as we all started to move towards the building.

"When has it ever been simple with us?" Dimitri asked laughing as he looked at me.

"Our first mission was simple." I shrugged as we all switched to comms as I caught Dimitri's eye and winked at him. We moved as one towards the building, all silently scouting it out, checking for escape routes and planning all out comes. Each member of Alliance is surprisingly well trained, even Marvin. We reached the ground floor and was met by about five guards.

"Mission is a go." Dimitri said tapping his ear piece as the guards rushed us. A guard took each of us on. Marvin slammed his guards head into a marble pillar knocking him out cold in one blow. Wei put his into a sleeper hold, gentally helping the guy to the floor. Dimitri shot his guard in the shoulder with a tranquillize dart knocking him out cold. James went for the straight punch to the nose, knocking his guy out cold and I did pretty much the same.

"That seem a little easy to anyone?" James asked as we moved towards the lifts at the end of the room.

"Just a touch." I admitted, glancing over my shoulder at the five bodies on the floor.

"You had to say it was simple huh?" Dimitri teased as the elevator doors pinged and opened. We all climbed in and I stood in the corner as the lift moved up. The very cheesy version of Spanish Fly song played as we went up the floors.

"You'd think he'd have better music than this." Wei said shaking his head as the tune just played on a loop.

"I like this music, I find it catchy." Marvin stated, humming along with the tune.

"Yep, you have to be an alien." James joked shaking his head as Marvin started to hum louder.

"It's catchy!" Marvin cried out in protest as we all let out a small chuckle.

"We're taking you to a karaoke bar tonight!" Wei cried out, slapping Marvin on the shoulder.

"Just don't let Dimitri sing My Way again, please." I begged as Dimitri shoved me.

"Hey, I did that song justice." Dee smirked at me as I rolled my eyes.

"I've heard cats sing better." I teased.

"It was amazing!" Dee cried out as everyone just stood there with blank expression. "I was amazing." He muttered to himself as he folded his arms over his chest.

"Sure..." I joked as the others laughed.

"Nearly us." Wei pointed out as the numbers reached the top. Those two words seemed to flick a switch within all of us and we once again became Alliance, SWORD Agents.

"Ok, stay in contact, I want to know what's happening at all times, understood?" Dimitri said pulling on his game face in a blink of an eye.

"Sir." Wei said as the elevator slowed and stopped on the second to top floor.

"Remember Knight and Marvin, no one to be killed, I want this clean." Dee stated firmly as the doors opened.

"You know us boss." Marvin joked as the pair walked out and James hit the button moving us up to the next level.

"_We found all the guards!_" Knight stated through our ear pieces.

"_Now we're gonna have some fun!"_ Marvin laughed as the doors to our floor opened. I glanced at Maverick as I took the lead, my gun, full of sleeping darts in my hand. The lights were turned off, and from a first scan the place was empty. Across the far end of the floor I could see the office James and Maverick needed.

"Clear so far..." I stated as Maverick and James fallowed me.

"This is just wrong." Maverick stated as we made our way over to the office. He glanced at me with the worried look. The same expression I was wearing. Compared to most of the Alliance we were old hats at this, we knew a trap when we walked into one.

"Maybe they're all busy downstairs?" James suggested as we reached the office.

"Maybe. Let me just check inside first though." Maverick said giving me a quick nod before disappearing into the large office.

"You ok Doc?" I asked noticing James scanning his surroundings like a hawk, his eyes darting from detail to detail.

"I've got a bad feeling about this Wonder." He admitted in a moment of stillness. I looked deep into his eyes and knew exactly what he was talking about. Something just wasn't sitting right with me either, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

"I'll get you out alive." I said reassuring James with a small smile.

"I..." James let out a chuckle. "You're younger than me, the youngest on the team and yet I believe you. A kids gonna save my life." He chuckled.

"A kid with the best training in the world and a kick arse backup plan." I pointed out smirking a little.

"Yeah, maybe you're right." James sighed with a soft smile.

"I'm always right." I joked as Dimitri opened the door to the office.

"Place is clean. Wonder, I want you over by the lift. Nothing is to get into the room, ok?" Dimitri stated with a heavy gaze.

"Sir, yes sir!" I joked with a fake salute as James walked into the room.

"Stay safe _Ptichka_." Dimitri whispered looking me dead in the eyes.

"You too Maverick." I whispered back before he disappeared into the office.

* * *

I had been stood by the lift on guard for the best part of twenty minutes listening to Knight and Marvin joke and tease each other about who knocked out the most guards. From my spot I could see Maverick and James working on the computers. We knew it was going to take time to hack into the system. I just had expected to given a little more action.

"_Make that 45."_ Knight laughed in my ear.

"_Please, I helped on that one, your still on 44._" Marvin laughed.

"_Whatever, you're still losing!"_ Knight teased.

"How about sending one up this way, I'm bored." I stated tapping my ear as I paced in front of the elevator slowly.

"_Wonder, you keep your eyes open. Don't get sloppy._" Maverick stated. I turned and looked through the gap where the door was still open, catching Dimitri's eye.

"Wouldn't dream of it Maverick." I smirked poking my tongue out as I continued to pace. I sighed as I walked up and down, listening to the fun the guys a floor below was having when something caught my eye in the darkness. It was movement from a stair well we thought wasn't finished yet. I ducked down to my knee's and tapped my ear piece. "I've got movement by the stairs, close the office door. I'll check it out." I whispered as I made my way over to the the door.

"_Keep me posted._" Maverick stated as I heard the office door click softly shut. I crawled across the floor towards the stair well when the door opened and about ten guards, in vests and with guns poured out onto the floor.

"I've got ten, all heavy armour. I can take them, but it means they're gonna know we're here. How long do you want me to hold them off?" I whispered moving behind a desk as they started to fan out around the room. Their heavy foot steps giving away their location.

"_Crap! Don't get shot! You hear me?!"_ Maverick snapped in my ear piece.

"I wont, now how long am I holding these goons off for?" I asked sighing and rolling my eyes a little.

"_I need another twenty minutes._" James stated through my ear piece. I let out a small sigh and smiled.

"You got it." I smirked. I was itching to get into a fight, standing around was just plain boring.

"_Knight, Marvin any chance you can get up here?_" Maverick asked sounding worried.

"_Sorry Boss, we've got our hands full._" Marvin replied.

"I've got this, just keep James safe." I smirked as I moved to the far corner far away from the office and stood up. I scanned the floor and most of the guards were making there way over to me, but because of the darkness they hadn't seen me.

"_Ptichka don't do anything stupid._" Maverick said as I pulled out my gun.

"But I like stupid!" I laughed shooting two guards near their groins with the tranquillizer darts, knocking the out cold.

"What was that?!" One guard yelled out as I ducked down.

"We've got two down!" Another yelled rushing over to one of the fallen. I took the opportunity to shoot him, dropping him like a fly too.

"Shit someone's up here!" A voice cried out near me. "We need to call-" I cut him off with another dart.

"Command, top floor intruder! We need more men!" A voice the far end of the office yelled out.

"_Out post, we have all our men on the floor below. No spare. Copy._" a voice crackled over a radio from one of the men out cold by me.

"Shit! Fan out, shoot to kill." One man growled as little spot lights came on and the men started to fan out.

"_Did he just say shoot to kill?_" Maverick asked, his voice hitching slightly as he asked the question.

"I got this. Chill." I joked making my way as far from the office they were in as possible. "I'm gonna keep them busy." I smirked as I reached the far corner and stood up.

"What was that?" One of the guards called out, his light lingering on my last location.

"Over here boys." I shouted instantly as six torch lights are shone on me.

"Stand perfectly still and don't move." One man shouted as another two slowly made their way over to me.

"Me?" I asked innocently pointing to myself.

"How did you get up here?" The same man yelled from behind the lights.

"I took the lift." I replied with a smirk.

"Who are you?" He yelled, clearly unimpressed with my answer. I noticed the two guards inch closer to me.

"I got told never to speak to strangers." I stated as the two guards got in reach of me. Within a blink I had disarmed one of them, using him as a shield as the second guard fired into the chest of my new shield. The rounds had gone through the armour and killed the guard I had my arm round instantly.

"Don't move!" I cried out using my free hand to shoot the second guard close to me with the tranquillizer dart, dropping them like a fly.

"Drop the weapon!" The same man yelled as three more guards moved closer to me, the man yelling orders stood away from the action with his gun aimed on me.

"Please, look, I'm not going to kill any of you, unless you shoot yourself like this guy." I said felling the dead weight starting to take a strain on me.

"Just put the gun down, your outnumbered." The man yelled totally ignoring me.

"Are you dumb or something?" I asked throwing the dead body of the guard towards two of the guards approaching me. I slid to my knee as the third shot off a spray of bullets. As I ducked down I fired off my last tranquillizer hitting the mark and making him drop perfectly. I chucked the gun to the floor racing behind some desks as the other two men fired a rain of bullets in my direction.

"_What the hell is happening? Do you want me to come out?"_ Maverick asked, clearly worried about me.

"I got this." I growled as the bullets stopped for a second. "I'm just playing with them. You wanted some extra time. Use it." I added smirking to myself as the adrenaline kicked in.

"Come out with you hands up, we know you've got no weapons left." The same guard yelled over the silence. I sighed blowing some hair off my face as I smirked. _No weapons left my arse..._

"Sure, ok, yeah, you got me." I said dryly as I stood up, putting my hands up in the air.

"Just stand there while my men handcuff you." The man yelled as the last two guards made their way to me. I stood perfectly still watching the bodies move in the darkness. It was all part of my plan.

"_What was that?_" James asked through my ear piece, his confusion catching my attention.

"_Who do you think you are? Robin Hood?"_ Maverick joked. My eyes widened as I continued to listen. "_Put the bow down! Now!" _My breath caught in my throat as I heard what sounded like fighting.

"_What's happening up there?!"_ Knight called out and in the background I could hear them still fighting off guards. Then I heard the _th-wick _noise, I knew what that sound meant. I felt my stomach turn in total fear.

"_Maverick's down! I repeat Mav-"_ And with another two _th-wick_ noises James cut out. My heart raced in my chest and I knew I had to move.

"Sorry boys, play times over." I stated as my arms burst out into the blue ora. The two guards near by stopped in their tracks as I took a deep breath releasing the energy knocking them down and out for the count. I started to run towards the office when the final guard shot out towards me. I felt the sting of a bullet ripping through the top of my arm and scrapping my thigh as I ran.

"No!" The man yelled as the pain only fuelled my need to find out what happened to my team. I turned to the man and shot off a single blast sending him flying through the sky and crashing into the far wall. I had used my energy than I should have done, but I needed to get to my team, the guard was getting in my way. I slid to my knee's picking up one of the fallen guards guns before slowly and silently opening the office door.

* * *

I took a deep breath and forced myself not to let out a sound as I saw James laid out on the floor out dead, an arrow through one eye and one in the heart. My blood ran cold seeing James laid out like that._ Son of a bitch..._ I scouted out the dimly lit office and spotted movement by the computers. I could make out a man, with sandy coloured hair stood in a black top with a matching black quiver on his back. Something about the quiver looked familiar and I wasn't sure I wanted to believe what I was seeing. _This can't be happening..._ I scooted into the room and stood up as the man who was at the computers smashed the lamp on the floor throwing the room into darkness. Clearly he had realised I was in the room. I didn't have much time to react.

"Freeze SWORD!" I yelled aiming the gun at the back of the archer as he ran to the open window, skilfully sending an arrow out to the near by building and disappearing. I ran after him, leaning out of the window as he seemed to disappear.

"Shit!" I cried out slamming a fist against the wall.

"_Ptichka_ ?" A voice coughed out and I span around to see Dimitri still alive, but barely. The light from the open window illuminated him. He had an arrow sticking out of his chest, he was already loosing a lot of blood. I dropped to his side instantly.

"Dee, can you hear me?" I asked as I pressed down on his wound, just below the heart. I ripped the arrow out and threw to the floor by me. "Come on Dee, don't do this to me." I begged as I pressed on. The blood flowed over my hands soaking everything in its path in a warm stick red liquid.

"Sorry _Ptichka_, I can't..." Dee started to cough up blood and I knew it was bad.

"Knight! Marvin! Get up here NOW! James is dead and I need evac for Dee!" I cried out, pushing past the tears that wanted to fall down my face.

"You know... I-" Dee coughed again and I could see how painful it was for him.

"Shh, come on Dee, just shut up and hang on in there. We're going to get you out of here and patched up. Ok?" I asked ignoring the hot liquid coating my hands. Dee gave me a sad smile, a tear rolling down his cheek as he moved his hands over mine.

"I've always loved you _Ptichka_. From Paris, you've always been in my heart." Dee coughed, the blood running down his cheek like smeared lipstick.

"Don't start this crap with me!" I snapped as the burn of the tears began to be too much for me to fight.

"_Ptichka_, listen to me... please..." Dee coughed all the colour drained from his skin.

"Wei! Marvin! Where the hell are you guys?!" I cried out as the tears fell from my cheeks.

"I love you Robyn." Dee coughed violently as blood splattered against my clothes.

"Please, come on please." I begged as the tears fell from my face. "Don't die on me Dee. You can't do this to me. Don't leave me... please God, please just hold on..." I begged sobbing as Dee gave me as the saddest smile I'd ever seen.

"You'll always be my _Ptichka_..." Dee whispered before his body went still.

"No! No! No this is not happening! No!" I screamed trying to feel for a pulse as the doors to the office burst open and Wei and Marvin ran in.

"Shit, check on James!" Wei cried out rushing to my side as I sat back in total shock. Voices became a buzzing noise in my ears I sat back on my knees and looked over at the dead body of my partner Dimitri Leonidas. _He's dead Flynn, you've lost him. Another person who got too close and paid the price. He loved you and you told him to shut up. He loved you and you couldn't even lie to him, make him feel better in his last minutes. You should have moved faster, as soon as you heard James you should have moved. You might have been able to stop it, or at least taken the arrow yourself._

"The arrow." I mumbled, only loud enough for me to hear as I reached over and picked up a jet black arrow with silver tip, and the insignia I was praying wasn't going to be there. My blood ran cold as I saw the tiny hawk insignia imprinted onto the arrow shaft. _There's no mistaking that mark... no mistaking it at all._

"Flynn? Flynn are you hurt?" Wei asked shaking me slightly. I slowly turned to him as a fired burned in my stomach, a rage I hadn't felt before.

"I know who did this." I stated in a cold tone. _That son of a bitch! Of course, it all adds up. Who else could it be?_

"Who?" Marvin asked as outside we could hear SWORD agents pulling up along side paramedics.

"I'll make him pay for this." I said getting to my feet.

"Robyn, we're a team. We'll work together to get whoever did this," Wei said putting his hand on my arm and I winced as the sting from the bullet hit my senses.

"You're hurt." Marvin stated with a frown as Wei moved and took a better look at my shoulder.

"You've been shot. We need to get you cleaned up." Wei stated as SWORD agents burst through the doors.

"He's going to pay for this." I whispered as my eyes fell on the dead bodies of Dimitri and James. "I promise."

* * *

So what did you all think? Did you like it? Hate it? Please review and let me know :)


	2. He Will Pay

Wow thank you to everyone who has fallowed or faved this story! I'm so glad you guys like it! Please bare with me, because things move a little slow before we really get to Barton action!  
Big shout out to Tackia and Avalongirl55 for the reviews!

* * *

Wei and Marvin led me out of the building to the EMT's to get cleaned up. I sat in the back of the van as they worked on my shoulder and cleaning my thigh. They kept asking me if it stung or hurt when they worked on me but I was numb to it all. I had just lost my partner and a friend. If that wasn't bad enough I had lost them to someone I used to love. I couldn't register any more emotions. I had to keep it all together to make him pay for what he did. So I sat silently repeating my mantra. _I can beat the night, I'm not afraid of thunder, I am full of light, I am full of wonder. I'm not going to fall under_. The words only worked to stop my body bursting into blue flames everywhere. I was a whole new level of angry, the rage burnt through every fibre of my body. Wei and Marvin were check out as well, neither of them spoke only to answer the very basic questions. We were all in shock and each of us knew we had too keep it together if we wanted to make someone pay. All three of us sat perfectly still as we watched James and Dimitri's bodies being removed from the building. They were placed in black body bags but we knew who they were. The EMT's were taking extra care with them, something that made me feel a little better about leaving Dimitri behind.

"He was a fine leader." Marvin stated in a sombre tone, his eyes glued on the van they placed the bodies in. "And James was so much fun to tease."

"James explained to me how the serum worked, five times because I couldn't understand it and Dimitri... He took a chance on me..." Wei admitted as I noticed a tear in his eyes. I rubbed Wei's shoulder in sympathy.

"He took a lot of chances." I admitted in a detached tone as I noticed someone walk over to us. Out of the corner of my eye I could see our boss, our Nick Fury, Deputy Director Brand. She was in a long black coat with what looked like a white dress underneath it. It looked like she had been out to dinner and was called back to this hell.

"Are you hurt?" Deputy Director Brand asked as she stood in front of the three of us. Her eyes scanned over the two guys before landing on mine. I was caked in blood, mine, Dimitri's and the guard who was shot. I sat on the back of the van as the guys stood up, my eyes locked on hers as she really understood what was lost.

"Few scrapes. Nothing serious." Wei informed her, drawing her attention away from me.

"What happened?" She asked Wei, her voice slightly shaky.

"As far as we know, the plan was going great. Me and Marvin were keeping the guards busy. A few got past us and Flynn was handling it. Then we heard James and Dimitri through the comms." Wei said dropping his head as his voice cracked.

"They were ambushed by an archer." I said standing up, my muscles screaming at the movement but I didn't care.

"An archer?" Brand asked confused.

"Yes ma'am." Marvin said with a small nod.

"I believe it was Agent Barton." I stated plainly, locking eyes on Brand as all of them looked at me shocked.

"Why do you think that?" She asked keeping her voice even as she asked.

"From behind the guy looked exactly the same. The arrows, had the same hallmark, Plus I don't know too many archers in town, do you?" I asked arching an eyebrow.

"He took the flash drive we were using to transfer the data across with too." Wei said softly. Brand stood there studying us for a few minutes while she made her mind up. She was clearly trying to figure out the best way to deal with us. We were broken and angry, not the best mixture to work an investigation on. She let out a heavy sigh nodding, as to agree with something in her mind.

"Ok, well this is your call now Flynn. Wei and Marvin will aid you. What's your next move?" She asked seriously folding her arms over her chest.

"Thank you Abby." I said softly before turning to the guys. "Marvin I want the security tapes for the top two floors, including any that face the top office. I want to have video evidence to back it up. Also make sure we get all the evidence from here. I know it's going to take a long time so, go back to base, clean up then report back here." I said plainly.

"No." Marvin stated plainly.

"Excuse me?" Brand asked arching an eyebrow. I just stood there and waited for Marvin to explain himself.

"I will not leave this scene until all the evidence is collected." Marvin stated plainly.

"Fine, I'll get some agents to bring you fresh clothes." Brand said with a small smile on her lips, clicking her fingers making her assistance run off.

"Wei, I want you to go through the mission reports, I want to know if we have a leak." I said taking a deep breath.

"I'm going to pick up the hawk." I said pulling on my training and hiding my emotions. I couldn't break down. I wouldn't dishonour James and Dimitri by breaking down. Not yet anyway.

"You're not going alone. I'm going with you." Wei jumped in before I could say anything else.

"I gave you an order." I said firmly, giving him a small glare for challenging me so openly.

"He killed two of our men. I'm coming." Wei stated firmly, a small part of me was proud to see Dimitri had rubbed off on him. I hid the smile as I turned to Brand raising an eyebrow. Brand nodded, agreeing with my silent commenting on what we had both just seen in Wei.

"Agreed. Now go." Brand said grabbing my arm as I tried to walk past her.

"Abby, I know what your going to say." I said in a whisper as Wei and Marvin were passed some clean clothes to change into. I couldn't look into her eyes because I was so afraid of breaking down in front of everyone.

"I'm sorry Robby." Abby whispered looking into my eyes as I looked away. "He was so excited to get you back." She added and I felt a dagger twist in my heart at her words.

"I wont let Barton get away with this." I said the anger slipping out over every word.

"I'm not asking for much, just don't kill him." Abby replied looking straight into my eyes.

"He killed two of ours." I stated firmly, my teeth gritting as I spoke. She stood perfectly still looking into my eyes. I knew she understood.

"We still need to make him pay, killing him gives him the easy way out." Abby explained and I knew she was right, deep down I knew that. But I was so anger and guilty and ready to rip anyone who stood in my way apart, piece by piece.

"Yes ma'am." I said before storming off with just one thing in mind. _Barton must pay._

* * *

Wei drove me to the Avengers Tower and the whole ride there was silent as we processed the events of the evening. Even sat silently in the car my mind continued to replay it over and over again. The first words James said, to the noise of the arrows hitting their targets, to the final, blood gargling words of Dimitri. _You'll always be my Ptichka... I should have gotten there faster. I should have moved at James first words. I knew something was wrong, I knew it from the start. It was wrong the whole mission was wrong. Why wasn't I faster? Why didn't I say something sooner? This is my fault, if I was guarding the floor better none of this would have happened! This is my mess and I'm going to clean it up, for James, for Dimitri, for the team. _We pulled up to the Tower and it pulled me from my thoughts. I turned to Wei and gave him my bad ass glare. _I need to do this alone... my mess to clean up..._

"Stay here. I'll be fine." I stated glaring at Wei who shifted uncomfortably in the drivers seat. He sat there for a moment, avoiding my glare and bullying himself up to argue.

"But Brand wanted me-" Wei started to argue, avoiding direct eye contact at me.

"He wont hurt me. I'll bring him down. Ok?" I said in a cold tone. My resolve was doubled seeing that flash of Dimitri in Wei.

"You're the boss." Wei sighed shivering slightly as I headed into the building. I took a deep breath as the guards on the tower looked at me in horror. I hadn't cleaned up, I hadn't done much apart from getting bandaged up._ I don't have time for the nice things like a hot shower, I need to do this. Take in the hawk while my resolve is still so strong, before the cracks show too much and I just break into pieces. How will that help anyone? Keep it together Robyn. I can beat the night, I'm not afraid of thunder, I am full of light, I am full of wonder. I'm not going to fall under_. I walked to the end lift and climbed in, instinct taking over as I hit the button for the top floor.

"_Good evening Agent Flynn, shall I tell the others of your arrival?_" Jarvis asked as the doors closed and the lift moved up smoothly.

"No, please don't Jarvis. Just tell me where they all are." I asked as I moved up the levels. The last thing I needed was a greeting by the Avengers only to have to arrest one of their own.

"_They are all gathered in the living room at the moment. Except Thor who is back on Asgard._" Jarvis explained as the lift stopped and the doors opened. I walked out into the hallway silently, y_ou can do this Flynn, one foot in front of the other,_ taking a deep breath as I skirted my finger tips to where my gun should have been. I didn't even pick up my weapon when we left the scene. I moved down the familiar hallways, noticing the difference in the decoration, there seemed to be more photo's of the Avengers up now. It felt more homely. I moved down the last corridor and walked down into the living room. Everyone turned as I walked in, the horror and shock clear on their faces. Least my appearance had the desired effect.

"Flynn?! What happened?!" Steve cried out as they all got out of the seats and raced over to me. My eyes glanced over all of them and landed on Clint, who stood with the others looking just as worried and horrified by my appearance.

"Is that blood?" Pepper asked as she got closer, the colour going from her face.

"What happened?" Bruce asked as they were all surrounding me now. My eyes returned to the grey green orbs which watched my every movement.

"Clint, do you have any weapons on you?" I asked ignoring the others. Natasha gave me a wary look and I could see she was getting ready for a fight. Clint just looked confused.

"What?" He asked taking a step closer to me.

"Do you have any weapons on you?" I asked seriously as he reached out to me.

"No, Flynn what happened to you?" He asked as I took his arm and twisted it so he was facing away from me. "What the hell?!" Clint cried out. I kicked the back of his knee so he dropped onto one knee as he swung out with his other arm knocking me sideways.

"Stop Flynn!" Steve, Tony and Bruce cried out as I twisted Clint's arm more making him cry out in pain before he kicked backwards at me.

"Flynn?!" Clint almost begged as I saw a flash of red before Natasha's arm broke my hold over Clint's arm. I backed away reaching behind my back and pulled out the arrow that had killed Dimitri, holding it like a knife ready to defend myself. Clint stood up and turned to me, rubbing his wrist.

"What's going on?" Tony asked utterly confused by my actions. Pepper had been pushed behind him and Steve for her own protection. Everybody was looking at me in utter confusion.

"Clint Barton I am here to arrest you for murder." I stated and saw the shock looks shared out between me and Clint.

"Murder?" Clint asked confused still cradling his wrist.

"This your arrow?" I asked throwing it at his feet. Clint slowly picked it up and took a good look at it.

"Yeah..." He asked as his eyes met mine and I felt the rage bubble in side of me.

"That arrow killed my partner tonight. Not to mention the two you put in a team mate." I stated keeping my eyes locked on Clint. The rage seeping over my words as I spoke.

"That's impossible!" Tony cried out looking at me like he didn't even know who I was.

"Clint's been here all night, right?" Steve asked turning to Clint. A fraction of change crossed Clint's face as he realised something.

"I've been out tonight. I needed some air." Clint admitted looking back down at the arrow in his hands.

"Well still he can't be the only archer in town. There has to be another explanation." Tony said turning to me, hoping for me to understand.

"I saw you." I stated and everyone just stood there in stunned silence.

"Flynn, it-" Clint started to argue when I cut him off.

"Agent Barton under code 12 section 3 I am arresting you for the murder of fellow agents. Anything you say will be written down and may be used against you in the trial. Now turn around." I stated coldly.

"You can't really be arresting him." Tony scoffed shaking his head, he looked to the others for help. They all stood just as shocked.

"He killed two people tonight Tony. My team. You're just lucky I'm arresting him." I growled, glaring at Tony. Everyone started to protest as soon as I finished speaking.

"It's ok. I'll go with you." Clint said softly making everyone stop.

"But you're innocent." Steve said confused.

"And she'll prove it." Clint said looking from Steve to me.

"She wants to kill you Legolas." Tony pointed out loudly.

"She wont though." Clint stated in that all too sure of himself tone.

"Turn around." I stated firmly as he did as he was told. I walked over, glaring at Natasha who took a step back as I walked past her and put the cuffs on Clint.

"This must be a mistake." Bruce said pushing up his glasses.

"I wish it was." I said coldly tugging on Clint to make him move.

* * *

Without another word I led Clint to the lift, the others fallowing us like a lost puppies. I could hear them talking softly about how they were going to track Clint's movements, prove he hadn't killed anyone. I heard Tony and Bruce discussing calling in Fury. I could feel Natasha's eyes locked on me the whole time. I knew all she wanted to do was run over and free her partner because that's just what you do. You save them. _I'm so sorry I couldn't save you. I will get revenge, I promise he is going to pay for this._ The doors opened and I pushed Clint into the lift, as the doors closed he turned to face me. That perfectly blank expression plastered all over his face. I turned to him, glaring as I imagined all the things I could do to him. _Sure he'd make it back to SWORD, but maybe missing a few parts._ I smiled at that thought, it seemed to cool some of the rage that was trying to burst from within me.

"Do it if it'll make you feel better." Clint stated his hawk like gaze almost reading my mind.

"There wouldn't be enough of you left if I started." I said, the promise of making him pay bounce round my mind as I spoke. Anything I felt for him had long since died, all I cared about was making him pay for killing my team members.

"I didn't kill them Flynn." Clint said softly, his voice so soft that it took me by surprise.

"I saw you and the arrows are yours Clint." I stated folding my arms over my chest. The lift seem to be taking longer to reach the ground floor and I was pretty sure it had something to do with Stark. I didn't want to be stuck in the small space, forced to talk with Clint, I wanted to be ripping him apart, piece by piece where the cameras couldn't see.

"I didn't kill them." Clint said softly, his grey green eyes locked straight on mine and something snapped in me. _How dare he! He doesn't even know the names of the people he killed! The son of a bitch!_

"Dimitri Leonidas and Dr. James Jekyll! They have names!" I snapped, my body shaking as I knew the blue ora had burst through. Clint's eyes went straight to my hands as he nodded.

"Ok, ok." He said softly as the lift reached the bottom floor. I stood there glaring at him as I forced myself to take a step back. _He's not worth killing, I have to make him pay another way. Make him face justice. _

"Give me an excuse, I'm begging you." I said as I shook the ora away and roughly grabbed hold of his arm, dragging him out of the building. I marched him to the car where Wei sat waiting patiently. I threw Clint in the back seat slamming the door shut before he even had chance to sit up right.

"Everything go ok?" Wei asked looking in the rear view mirror at Clint, the rage spilling out over everything he did.

"Perfectly, let's get back to headquarters." I said as he started to car and drove off away from The Avengers Tower.

* * *

We got Barton to the SWORD headquarters and threw him into a holding room before walking over to our desks, all five circled around each other. My heart ached seeing them like that, knowing at least two of them wouldn't be filled again.

"You holding up ok?" Wei asked as he slid into his seat. I could see the relief in his body as he relaxed into his chair.

"I need to change, make sure no one talks to Barton." I huffed turning and walking away before anyone could say anything to me. I still couldn't break down, not while I was surrounded by everyone. The whole office knew what happened, the word spread fast. News that Barton was in a holding cell was going to have them all lined up for their share. A part of me liked the idea of that kind of justice, but that was a lawless justice something that wouldn't, shouldn't work in our society. It wasn't a fitting end for James or Dimitri to let Barton die at the hands of the whole office. James and Dee were loved, hell they were some of the best. No one was willing to let this one go._ And they shouldn't. I will keep this promise, I will._ I made my way to the women's locker room and thankfully it was empty. I pushed the door opened and shuffled my feet over to the locker with my name on it. I opened it and grabbed some jeans, a top and a towel. As I reached for the towel my hand caught on a small key chain. I pulled it out holding the small hawk key chain in my hand. The rage tripled in me seeing that stupid key chain.

"You son of a bitch." I said as the tears rolled down my cheeks. "You killed them! You wont even admit it! I know you did it! I fucking saw you there!" I yelled throwing the key chain clear to the other side of the room. I let out a scream of rage, guilt and sorrow as I dropped to my knee's, the tears flowing down my cheeks as I let it all out. I collapsed on the floor crying my soul out as I felt the rage build in me again. I slammed my fists onto the tiles until they bled, the red instantly making me flash back to Dee's blood on my hands.

"There's no way I'm going to let you get away with this." I said growling as I wiped away the last few tears. "No way in hell." I growled pulling myself together and getting back on my feet to get a shower. The hot water wasn't hot enough, I needed to feel a new kind of pain, my body, my soul was so cold I needed the hot water to bring me back around. But it was never hot enough. I felt the sting of the water hit the scratches and cuts on my body as I washed away all the dry blood off my body. As I washed away Dimitri's last minutes, my muscles screaming out for a rest, to be given the time to recharge and relax. I pushed past the pains and aches knowing nothing I could feel would be as bad as the pain they felt dying. I moved out of the shower and dried myself. I slipped on the long sleeved black top and slipped into my jeans, the friction from the fabric and the scratches making me hiss as I pulled them up.

* * *

I pulled my hair into a ponytail and felt the pain in my shoulder as I moved it. The bullet wound was still fresh, and in all that happened it was the last thing I though thought about. I muttered a string of curses as I walked over to my desk to find Marvin and Wei going over things on their screens. Both of them look exhausted, it was nearly 3 in the morning by my watch and none of us had really stopped. Sure I had a mini break down in the locker room and I was sure Wei had his moment when he was alone in the car but it wasn't enough. Yet watching them work, the look of determination in their eyes. I knew why Dimitri had requested them on the team. _You always knew how to pick the best, didn't you?_

"What have we got?" I asked walking over my desk, my hand skirting along Dimitri's as I walked past. Marvin looked up at me and gave me a soft smile catching my motion.

"I've collected all the evidence from the crime scene, and I've had the arrow you borrowed returned. The lab is working full speed to process it." Marvin explained with a sigh. He rubbed his eyes as he looked over to Wei.

"I've gone through our systems and I've found our leak." Wei stated, the rage still clear in his voice. Wei was really angry over the murders and it made me think it was the first time he'd lost members of a team before.

"And?" I asked as me and Marvin walked over to his desk and looked over his shoulder as he brought up a few images.

"A bug, planted by Stark Industries." Wei said tapping his screen, the Stark logo flashing on the screen for everyone to see.

"Stark's our leak?" I asked gripping the edge of Wei's chair tightly. _How many of them are involved?_

"No, he just was the first, a second has piggy backed off him. The new hack accessed your file, Dimitri's and The Alliance's missions." Wei explained looking up at me. I set my jaw before letting out a small growl. _This was all planned. It was a damn trap and we walked straight into it!_

"What have we got from the footage?" I growled moving to my desk.

"A man, blonde hair, right height, right bow and quiver. The pictures not great, but from all the analysis we can do, it's Barton." Marvin stated plainly.

"Shit." I growled shaking my head.

"What's wrong?" Wei asked confused, looking at me with tired eyes.

"I just need a reason. I can't see Barton just deciding to go rogue for no reason." I said shaking my head.

"He's done it before." Wei suggested.

"That was different..." I sighed thinking back to Loki and repressing a shiver.

"He loved you, didn't he?" Marvin asked raising an eyebrow, looking from me to Wei and back again.

"It's been nearly two years Marvin..." I said plainly dismissing the idea off hand.

"It would take a long of planning." Wei pointed out. "The hack would at best be able to drip information to the second party without alerting Stark or us. That could take years."

"Are we sure Stark doesn't know anything?" Marvin asked arching an eyebrow.

"We need to get a better picture." I huffed looking at the image which was dark and blurry but did look like Barton. _Sure your not just convincing yourself?_

"I'm working on it." Marvin replied hitting a few keys before his phone rang and he answered it.

"I don't want Barton interviewed by anyone but me. I don't care if he has some chunks missing, but I need him to be able to talk, so pass the word along, ok?" I asked Wei who just nodded, a smile forming on his lips as he got up and to walk off. Brand walked over to us, stopping Wei and bringing him back to us.

"What have you got so far?" She asked looking at all three of us. She had changed into her suit pants and white shirt with the SWORD logo on.

"A headache." Marvin said rubbing his head as he put the phone down.

"Apart from that?" She asked firmly, her eyes darting round to all of us, the look of determination clear on her face. She wasn't going to let anyone get away with attacking her team – SHIELD or otherwise.

"Wei's found a leak, I need to go talk to Stark and see if he knows who piggy backed him. Then why he hacked into SWORD in the first place. Marvin is going over the evidence, it's stacking up that Barton is are man..." I said trailing off, my voice betraying the trouble I was having believing it was all Barton.

"But?" Brand asked watching me closely. I looked up to meet her eyes.

"But I don't buy it. I need a motive." I admitted shrugging a little, then wincing at the pain it coursed me.

"Ok, well I want you all to go home. In the morning I want you to talk to Stark before interviewing Barton." Brand said looking at me. "Wei you need to try and trace the second hack and Marvin keep working the footage."

"We all due respect Ma'am I don't want to leave." Wei stated firmly.

"Me neither." Marvin stated from his desk. Abby looked over to me and gave me a warm smile.

"I understand, but you wont do Dimitri or James any justice if you miss a clue because your too tired. You need to rest, even if it's just for a few hours. So go home and rest. In the morning fresh eyes, we'll make sure the right person pays." Brand said softly, looking at all of us. In a chorus of sighs Marvin and Wei grab their jackets, slipping them on before silently making their way out of the building. I grabbed my jacket and headed over to the holding cell. I walked into the companion room and sat in the seat watching as Clint just sat perfectly still waiting for what ever was going to happen. I lent forward in my chair and studied the hawk. The finger twitches of fear or frustration. His eyes locked on one point in the room, his body language and the way he holds himself when no one watches. _How can you be so calm? How can you sit there and wait? I know what you did. I know it. I saw it. But how can you be so smug as to just sit there and wait? How could I ever love you? How could I ever think that you made me whole? _I let out a scoff and got to my feet. I didn't need to ponder onto that one. _You always did go for the wrong guy... why should Barton have been any different? _I walked out of the room, slamming the door shut so that Clint would know he's being watched. _Like he didn't already know._ I thought as I left the building and headed home.

* * *

I really hope you guys like this chapter! Please review and let me know! I love finding out what you all think about the story!


	3. Doubts

Hey everyone, thanks for the constant reviews and fallows! I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

* * *

I sat on the couch in my crappy apartment and drank all the beer I had in. I dropped the last bottle to the floor and sobbed a little. My whole body ached, every muscle screamed out for some rest, even my heart wanted to switch off and act like it was all just a bad, really fucking bad, dream. I looked at the bracelet on my wrist and growled. Snapping it off my wrist and throwing it the other side of the room.

"Where were you when I needed you? When I needed the help, where were you?" I asked breaking down as I looked at the broken bracelet on the floor. "Where were you?" I sobbed, just above a whisper. I curled up in a ball and sobbed and cried until there was nothing left in side of me. Until I was so exhausted that sleep took me away from this world.

_I was stood in a circus tent, Dimitri tied up on one of those wheels they throw knives at. Clint stood there with his bow in his hand, his eyes glowing blue as he turned and looked at me. The tesseract taking over his mind, making him a puppet._

"_Get out of here Ptichka!" Dimitri cried out as he pulled on the thick rope that held him to the board._

"_Little Bird? He calls you Little Bird? That's kinda cute Blue." Clint smirked with that all too cocky grin as he notched his arrow and took aim without even looking._

"_Clint, please don't do this." I begged taking a step closer, all the time Clint held his bow draw, perfectly aimed on Dimitri even if he was looking at me._

"_Why?" He asked with a smirk. "Why shouldn't I?" He asked as from behind me I heard laughing. The shiver tingling, cold inhuman laughter of Loki. I turned and sure enough the Demi God was walking towards us laughing and clapping his hands._

"_You made this horror all by yourself, I am impressed." Loki stated walking to the side of me. The amusement plastered all over his smug face._

"_I didn't... I -" I stumbled over my words as Loki laughed again._

"_Which one do you love?" He asked, suddenly eating popcorn that appeared from thin air._

"_What?" I choked out looking from Dimitri and Clint who was still waiting perfectly still._

"_Love, which one? It's a simple enough question." Loki smirked as he took a seat on a near by box. He popped a piece of popcorn into his mouth as he smirked at me. "My this is fun!" He added smirking._

"_I..." My mind went blank as I looked between Dimitri and Clint._

"_Ptichka, I love you." Dimitri said softly. He looked so sweet at me, his eyes locked on mine, with the love shining through._

"_Blue, you know how I feel." Clint added, his eyes returning to the grey green eyes I had fallen for. My heart skipped a beat hearing him say that to me._

"_Ah ha! We have a winner, you love Agent Barton!" Loki said clapping his hands and getting to his feet as the blue returned to Clint's eyes. A shiver indicating the Clint I loved had been taken over again._

"_You love him?" Dimitri asked, his voice broken. I could see the hurt all over his face._

"_I'm sorry." I said as I tear escaped my eye._

"_It's o-" Dimitri's words were cut off by the arrow that pierced his heart in one clean shot. I jumped back in shock as his head drooped to his chin._

"_What have you done?!" I cried out and tried to reach Dimitri but Clint gabbed me by the waist and pulled me away._

"_He knows the truth now, that's all that matters." Clint whispered into my ear as he turned me round to face. His blue eyes locked on mine as I glared at him._

"_You killed him!" I cried out, fighting to get out of his arms._

"_You love me." Clint replied holding me firm._

"_No! No you killed him! How can I love a monster like you?!" I screamed pulling out of his grasp and falling to the floor with-_

A thud. I was woken by falling on the floor with a thud. I groaned as I looked around and realised it was morning. My head was throbbing, and I realised why when I saw the empty beer bottles around the floor. I pulled myself up and went to get a shower, forcing myself to sober up enough to be able to work the case. _It wasn't all just a bad dream. Another Loki fuelled hell my brain as con cocked from broken memories the Tesseract and Loki have left in my mind. It was just a bad dream... Yet. Yet I know they are dead. And Clint did it._

* * *

I walked into the office a little after 7 and saw Wei just settling in and Marvin working hard on something. As I got closer to my desk I noticed Wei had bruised, bloody knuckles. I glanced to Marvin and his knuckles were red too.

"You both feel better?" I asked moving to sit at my desk. Reaching into my drawer for a bottle of pills and a bottle of water.

"He deserves more." Wei said not even looking up from his screen. I popped two pills and swallowed it with half the bottle of water.

"I believe this is fair justice." Marvin added, also not looking up from the screen. I sighed, I couldn't argue that much with them. Someone had to pay for killing James and Dimitri. _But are you sure it's Barton?_

"Did he fight back?" I asked checking the e-mails I had, most were just updates I already knew about.

"No." Wei answered softly. I popped my head up and looked over at him.

"He didn't fight back?" I asked confused. My mind struggling to work Barton out.

"No just sat there and took it." Wei shrugged. "He's probably realised who he killed last night and wants to pay for it now."

"Maybe..." I sighed. Something didn't sit right with Clint letting people beat the shit out of him for no reason. Even if he was guilty, I couldn't imagine Clint letting them beat him. I let out a sigh before standing up and grabbing my coat. There was too many things that did not add up and I didn't like it. Plus it made my headache worse.

"Where you going?" Marvin asked, glancing up from his screen.

"I'm going to interview Stark. Keep me posted, ok?" I asked softly.

"We will Boss." Marvin replied with a small smile.

"And, um.." I bit my lip and sighed. "Make sure Barton gets cleaned up. No one else can touch him."

"What?!" Wei cried out, he clearly didn't like what I said. He stood up shaking his head. "You're kidding right? They guy deserves much worse!"

"It's an order, Wei." I said walking back over to him, matching his glare with my own.

"He killed Dimitri and James, Robyn." Wei growled at me.

"You think I don't know that? I had their blood caked on me most of the night." I replied trying my best to keep my anger under control.

"You know he needs to pay! So what if the guys let off a little steam on him?!" Wei cried out shaking his head at me in disbelief.

"And I gave you an order. If you're not going to fallow it, the door is over there." I growled back pointing to the exit. I heard Marvin stand up and walk over to us.

"Friends, please this isn't the way." Marvin said pushing us part and trying to keep the peace.

"This is fucking ridiculous!" Wei scoffed shaking his head as he moved away from us.

"Do I need to kick you off the case?" I asked seriously.

"You want to protecting a killer!" Wei cried out, turning back to face me.

"You heard me Wei. No one touches Barton again." I said and walked out of the office. _What the fuck are you doing Flynn? He killed Dimitri, he put an arrow through his heart! He put two in James. One in the eye! And you want him to have some comfort? … Oh, oh no...You don't, do you? Do you still lo-_

"Shut up brain." I muttered as climbed into my car, hoping that by turning some music on my brain would fade into the background like it had so many times before.

* * *

The drive to The Avengers Tower was filled with silence. I mean, yeah sure I had the radio on and music was playing but it was a way to trick my brain into being quiet, silent. A way of ignoring the feeling I was trying to keep buried deep in my soul. It wasn't a matter of love, or lust for that matter. _It was a one night stand, that's all. _As long as I told myself that, I had no reason to not believe my lies. _Except there is still feelings for him floating around here._

"Shut up brain." I muttered walking into the Avengers building. The same guard from the night before spotted me and his eyes darted to my badge as I walked straight to the lift. Just as before I climbed to the top floor, however this time Jarvis never talked to me and when the doors opened I was greeted with less than friendly faces.

"Where's Barton?" Natasha asked, no demanded, her arms folded over her chest, her best death glare in full effect. I rubbed my head knowing heading to the tower before letting the pain killers kick in was a bad idea.

"Back at SWORD headquarters. He's in a holding room." I said walking straight past her heading towards the kitchen, it was only 8 it made sense everyone would still be eating breakfast. Natasha stalked at my side, her eyes burning holes into my back as I walked._ What a great way to start my day! An argument with my team and now Romanov wanting to take chunks out of me. Could this day getting any better?_ As we entered the kitchen everyone's eyes fell on me, Pepper instantly looking away as she picked up her things and left the room.

"Good Morning Smurfette, and who are you going to arrest today?" Tony asked with a snippy attitude before sipping on his coffee. Bruce's eyes darted from me to Tony as Steve moved uncomfortably in his seat next to Tony. Clearly the people I once called friends weren't too happy to see me any more. They looked at me with distrust and uncertainty.

"I thought I'd start with you." I said dryly walking towards him. The ever cocky Stark just smirked at me.

"What's Tony done?" Steve asked as his eyebrows knitted together. My eyes darted to Steve and I felt bad for being the one to talk to The Avengers, but it had to be. I couldn't let anyone else do it.

"Can we talk in private please?" I asked looking at Tony who just shrugged while he sipped on his coffee.

"This is private." Tony said waving a hand towards the others. I looked around the others. Bruce sat back in his seat, almost keeping himself away from the action of the room. Steve was sat resolved at the side of Tony, watching me carefully as I stood perfectly still. Behind me I could still feel Natasha's eyes drilling into me. It was the one comforting thing in that moment. _She still hates me... ha!_

"Fine." I sighed rubbing my eyes, the headache wasn't getting any better and I should have know that Tony Stark wouldn't have helped much. "Why did you hack into SWORD?" I asked folding my arms over my chest.

"Hack? I don't know what your on about Agent Flynn." Tony lied, with his usual cocky tone. I groaned, sighing slightly, realising he was going to draw this out for as long as he could.

"We found your little bug. Tracked it to Jarvis and Stark Industries. How did you hack us?" I asked again, the frustration leaking out over my words.

"Us? Since when has it been a case of us and them?" Steve asked sounding a little hurt.

"It's my job, my team. Tony, just answer me." I asked looking from Steve to Tony.

"You look tired, maybe a nice cup of coffee would help?" Tony said changing the topic, as he started to ramble about different coffee beans. I could still feel Natasha's eyes on me, Tony's rambles and avoidance plus the massive headache I had pushed me over the edge.

"You're hack got my people killed!" I snapped, a glare aimed perfectly on Tony Stark who paused mid motion. "Because _you_ hacked our system, it left the door open for someone else too. Someone who looked at Alliance files, _my file_, and planned the ambush last night." I growled talking a step forward. Instantly Natasha was at my side, her hand hovering close to me, warning me not to try anything.

"Don't." That one word from Natasha and I knew I was the enemy. I threw my hands in the air as a sign of surrender.

"Don't worry, I'm not in the mood." I huffed, turning from Natasha back to Tony who looked paler.

"The hack, someone piggy backed on it?" Tony asked, surprised. He genuinely looked shocked, processing everything I had said to him.

"Yes. How could someone do that?" I asked plainly, my anger returning to a quiet internal bubble.

"Jarvis, I want answers!" Tony snapped to the ceiling as he glanced to Bruce who just shrugged.

"_Yes sir._" Jarvis replied.

"You don't even know?!" I growled shaking my head. "You're system and you don't know! Brilliant. Just great going Stark." I said sarcastically shaking my head.

"Hey I didn't get your men killed!" Tony snapped back at me, the frustration plastered all over his face.

"But you might as well have handed the arrows over." I bit back turning away from them. That raging bubble was about to burst all over again. "Just tell me when you find the leak." I said scoffing out a ton of curses as I headed to the lifts. As I walked down the hallway, I heard someone jogging to catch me up.

"Wonder." Steve said softly, holding my shoulder making me stop to turn and face him. "I'm sorry." He said softly, his voice so innocent and sorry.

"What for?" I asked softly, knowing where the conversation was going.

"I know how hard it is to loose soldiers." Steve said looking at me with big baby blues. I felt like I was going to break under the puppy dog assault.

"They were more than soldiers Cap." I admitted looking away. I took a moment to compose myself. "I need to know who hacked Stark. Have you figured out where Barton went last night?" I asked clearing my throat from the emotion that threatened to break through.

"Nothing so far. When he wants to hide, it's hard to find him." Steve explained as I looked back to him. "I'll get Tony to tell you as soon as he finds the leak. How are you handling it?" Steve as rubbing my arm where I was shot. I winced slightly as he touched the tender skin.

"I got away with a new scar. I lost... I'm strong enough to keep fighting." I said before walking into the lift.

"I'm here if you need to talk." Steve said as the doors shut.

"I just need answers..." I sighed to myself as the lift moved down the floors.

* * *

I hope you all enjoyed it, please chuck me a small review and let me know!


	4. When Did Up Become Down?

Hey everyone! I am so so so sorry it's been a while since I updated this story. I feel really bad about it all! I got the bug to re-write another of my other stories and I got caught up in it. My bad, really. But thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, Mrs. Barton, Little Flipendo and Janechen88! Also A big shout out to everyone who alerted and faved me too! Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

I got back to headquarters around 9:30 due to traffic and my head was still throbbing. I headed to my desk and found Wei and Marvin talking. The pair stopped and looked over to me, Wei looked guilty as he looked up at me.

"Robyn, I'm sorry." He said softly, looking away from me. "I know you care, I know your not protecting Barton." He added.

"Emotions are running high, I get it Wei. When I lost my first partner, I went mental." I admitted slipping into my chair. "I went AWOL for three months while I tracked down the cartel boss who had ordered the hit. I killed him." I admitted softly.

"You killed him? Did it help?" Wei asked, his focus locked on me.

"No. Killing the bastard didn't make me feel one bit better." I admitted looking out into nothing. "Dimitri was set after me to bring me back in."

"What did Dimitri do when he found you?" Marvin asked plainly.

"Took me to the best bar in Brazil and got me totally wasted. I cried like a little baby for three days and he explained to me it was all a process. Something we all had to do, to move on." I admitted looking over at Dimitri's desk, a tear threatening to escape my eye.

"We should do this then! For James and Dimitri!" Marvin stated with a warm smile. I looked at him then glanced at Wei.

"Sounds like a plan Marv." Wei smirked a little. "But after we finish the case." He added seriously.

"Yeah, we wouldn't want Brand catching us drunk on duty." I added with a smirk of my own.

"Good, its agreed." Marvin stated with a small chuckle as he returned to his screen. I turned to Wei to ask him what we had when Deputy Director Brand walked over with us with a woman in SHIELD uniform. The woman was tall, thin, with brown hair and green eyes. She had a stern look for such a youthful face.

"Ma'am." I said getting to my feet as the others looked up and watched us.

"Flynn, this is Maria Hill, Fury's right hand." Brand said waving a hand in Hill's direction. I held my hand out and shook hands with Hill.

"Pleasure." I stated as she nodded to me.

"I've convinced Fury to allow a search of Barton's room for the flash drive that went missing." Brand announced passing me the paper work.

"Ok, so why are you here Agent Hill?" I asked glancing at the paper work.

"As part of the agreement Director Fury wants me present, so no one can suggest SWORD planted evidence." Hill explained, her words short and measured, much like her demeanour.

"Super." I said sarcastically, glancing at the guys. "Marvin and Wei, please escort Agent Hill to The Avengers Tower to search Barton's room. I want a full search, air vents, roof tiles, any small almost impossible to reach crack. Don't underestimate the guy, ok?" I asked looking as the two men got to their feet.

"Yes Boss." Marvin stated slipping on his jacket.

"And Agent Hill, will you be riding with us?" Wei asked checking her out slightly.

"I'll take my car then fallow you Agent?" She asked looking back to me for names.

"Agent Wei Choi," Wei said holding his hand out as she shook it. "And that's Marvin." Wei nodded to his partner.

"Now we all know who we are, shall we?" Marvin asked moving away with Hill and Choi. Brand stood by my side as she watched the trio walked off. Clearly Choi was liking the look of Hill, as he kept checking her out from behind. I knew Brand was stood next to me for a reason.

"What?" I asked, rubbing my head as a twinge of the headache kicked in again. Brand turned to me with a smirk on her face.

"Have I become that easy to read Robby?" She asked in a chuckle.

"Sorry Abby, but yeah, I've known you too long now." I admitted with a soft smile.

"You're the only one left now, apart from Fury." Abby admitted looking down to the floor.

"This job never promised a pension." I admitted as the pang of sadness attacked my already beaten and broken heart as I realised she was right. Abby had hand picked her first SWORD team, when she took charge I had been drafted from University, Dimitri had been taken from the Greek intelligence agency and a few others from around this world. We had all shown exceptional promise. They were all dead now apart from me. _Last man standing wins... _I forced myself to think about something other than the one's I'd lost working the job.

"You're going to interview Barton now, right?" She asked arching an eyebrow, the worry shining through her eyes.

"You gonna tell me not to do it to myself?" I asked leaning on the edge of my desk, folding my arms over my chest.

"You and him... had a _thing._ I know, I've read the reports." Abby shrugged.

"A thing? It was sex. Just sex. Hell, it was only one time." I shrugged back trying to make it all seem nonchalant and unimportant.

"It wasn't just a thing though, was it?" She asked seriously, I could see how worried she was about me.

"Abby-" I sighed, pushing some loose strands of hair off my face.

"Do you still love him?" She asked and I snapped my eyes to her.

"He killed Dimitri and James in cold blood." I said with all the emotion gone from my voice.

"I know, and we're going to prove that." Abby said standing her ground. "But you didn't answer me." She added.

"I don't need to answer stupid questions. I'll be in the holding room if anyone needs me." I huffed walking past Abby and straight to the holding rooms. _You're slipping. If Brand can see your conflicted, hell your slipping. Get it together. You're one of the best, you can pull up that stone wall and hide. Pretend your heart doesn't race seeing him, knowing he is so close. Keep pretending it was all just some thing. Meaningless sex. Just keep lying to yourself._

* * *

I walked down the corridor to the holding rooms and noticed it had been cleared of all but four guards. Two at the start of the corridor, checking ID's and two just out side the door Clint was in. I nodded to the guards, noting their heavy weapons as I reached for the door.

"Agent Flynn." One guard said my name, making me pause to face him.

"Yeah?" I asked softly.

"We cleaned him up. No one's been in since your orders." He stated, his body tense.

"Thanks, just make sure no one interrupts us, ok?" I asked glancing to the other guards.

"Yes Ma'am." The guard replied, repositioning his gun. I took a deep breath and walked into the white room. _Answers, I'm going in here just for answers. _Sat the opposite side of the table was Clint Barton,his arms cuffed behind the silver chair he was sat on.

"Fuck." I muttered under my breath as I looked at Clint. He had a cut under his right cheek, bruises along his jaw, his arms had scratches and grazes on them and I could only imagine what the rest of his body looked like. _What? Why do you feel bad?! He KILLED your people! You saw him! He did it! Get a grip!_

"You're looking... like shit." Clint chuckled and winced as he laughed. Clearly they had done a number on his sides too. I winced myself as I moved and sat down opposite him sighing.

"Two hours sleep, after watching two team mates die would do that to you." I admitted pulling on my SWORD training to keep myself in check. "You're not look so hot yourself." I added.

"Yeah, seems like someone left the door open last night. Your whole office paid me a visit." Clint replied, his grey eyes watching my every movement. Every little twitch of my body and I could feel his eyes on me. My heart raced slightly.

"Apparently, you just took it." I replied leaning forward on the table.

"They needed to vent their frustrations. I understand that. Beating me, cleared their minds so they could work the case." Clint replied, his grey eyes locked on my own. I sat there for a moment searching those eyes I had fallen in love with once upon a time. _Yeah right, you still-_

"So you did it out of the goodness of your heart?" I asked, letting the sarcasm sit clearly over my words. Clint shrugged, but again winced slightly.

"Plus they had be tied to a chair." He added with a smirk.

"I saw you." I stated firmly.

"I wasn't there Robyn." Clint replied, looking straight into my eyes. I sat there and studied him. The way he sat in the chair, the way he was favouring his left side, clearly the hurt side. The way he blinked more than normal, the light purple forming under his right eye. His body was in a lot of pain, more than he was showing. I forced myself to meet his eyes again. The swirl of green in the grey, the way they matched my movements. _He's either really good at lying, the best I've seen... or he's telling the truth._

"Ok," I sighed nodding a little. "Let's take away when I saw. We both know how well eye witness statements stand up in trials." I shrugged, and forced myself not to show the pain from my own shoulder. "We have, your arrows on the scene with the same insignia. Not to mention, you happen to be missing the time of the murders. How do you explain that Clint?" I asked leaning back in the chair.

"I can't explain my arrows, unless someone stole some." Clint admitted looking down at the table.

"Someone stole your arrows? The most important thing in your life. And you want me to believe that someone stole them?" I asked shaking my head. "I'm sorry, when did you mistake me for an idiot?" I added.

"I'm not. But it's the only way someone could have gotten their hands on them." Clint sighed shaking his head slightly.

"So someone broke into the tower, got past Jarvis and the fact six superheroes and Pepper lives there, not to mention all the people below. Just to steal your arrows?" I asked shaking my head. Clint didn't answer me, he just sat there and looked into my eyes, it felt like he was searching my soul. I looked away feeling way to vulnerable under his intense gaze. I felt my phone buzz and I pulled it out of my pocket, reading the message.

"_We found the flash drive in Barton's room. Bringing it back to base as soon as we finish the search. Wei._" I read the message and slipped the phone back into my pocket. _Well that's it Flynn. The last piece of evidence, he did it. He killed James and Dimitri. _

"What was the message?" Clint asked, watching me like a hawk.

"They found the flash drive in your room." I stated standing up from the chair. "You did it Clint. I just... I don't understand why. I mean, what did James and Dimitri ever do to you?" I asked, letting my voice break slightly.

"Robyn-" Clint was cut off by a massive explosion. It rocked the room and outside I could hear shouting and gun fire.

* * *

Before I had to register what was happening a felt the second explosion, this time right outside the room. In a heart beat I jumped over the table, knocking Clint on his side, covering him with my body as I pulled the table up on it's side. The force of the explosion sent the table and us backwards into the back wall with a thud.

"Are you ok?" We asked at the same time. My heart raced as I looked Clint over, it looked like throwing him over on his side hurt, but at least he was alive. _Thank God your ok_. Was my only thought. Clint's eyes darted to my side and my eyes fallowed him. Down my left rib cage, there was a massive gash. It wasn't life threatening, unless I didn't get someone to see to it. But I knew it was going to make moving a challenge.

"Oh, come on, this is a new top." I growled as I went to touch my side and felt the burn of a fresh wound. "Damn it." I hissed climbing off Clint and gingerly resting my back against the cold metal table. Outside the bullets were still being fired and I could hear more explosions going off.

"You need to untie me." Clint said, from his side, laying on the floor.

"Are you nuts, you killed my team?!" I cried out, trying my best to cover my gash with the sleeve of my top. It wasn't the best patch up job I could do, but it would have to do.

"I didn't Robyn." Clint replied as the shouting out side got louder. "We don't have much time, please. Let me help you." He asked, his eyes so full of truth, of love. My mind swam with the information overload. _He killed people. Your people. You saw him. You saw him do it. Do not trust him. He's a spy too, he knows how to lie. But why do I. Why do I feel like this. I know I can trust him, I should trust him. I lo- I care for him, about him. I should listen to him... shouldn't I?_

"How do I know... the evidence, I saw you." I said softly, not knowing what to believe any more. The dulling pounding in my head had return with vengeance to a jack hammer level.

"Look at me." Clint commanded. "Look into my eyes." He asked as I looked into his eyes. "I did not kill any of your team." He said softly, it only took a moment._ My God... he's. He's telling the truth._

"What... I don't have a key." I replied shaking away the guilt I felt for helping Clint.

"Hair clip?" He asked struggling against the restraints.

"Yeah, I think." I said reaching into my hair and pulling out a slid. I climbed over his body and picked the handcuffs. As I took them off, I realised even they were on tightly. HIs wrists were bruised.

"Thanks. Can you move?" Clint asked sitting up and rubbing his wrists. Outside the bullets had stopped, but the shouting was coming closer.

"Yeah. I just-" I winced as I got to my feet, the cut on my side hurt worse then I had hoped.

"We need to get out of here." Clint said looking around the room for an exit.

"Maybe some form of weapons would be nice too." I huffed holding my side.

"There!" Clint yelled pointing to the air vent in the middle of the room.

"I should have known..." I muttered as he pulled the table to the middle of the room and climbed up. He opened the vent and turned to me, holding his hand out.

"Come on, I've got you." He said. I looked at his hand and hesitated. _What if I'm wrong? What if he really did kill them? What if he planned this attack to bust him ok? How do I know I can trust him?_ "Flynn! Come on! We can have trust issues when we're out of here!" He snapped, waving his hand at me.

"Damn it! The explosions blocked the fucking door! Blast away this rock now!" A voice boomed from just behind the door. I took one look at the door and then turned to Clint. I climbed up the table and he helped me into the vent. I crawled into the small dark space, and moved up so he had enough room to climb in and shut the vent after himself. I skirted along the small metal cage, I could feel my blood spearing the side of the vent as I struggled through it as quietly as I could. We moved to just outside the holding room and I stopped to listen to the men below.

"He is going to be so pissed if they get away." One man said, I instantly recognised his voice as the guard who paused me before entering the room. _It has been a set up._ I let out a small growl as I wanted to get down and rip the guy apart.

"Yeah, well he just told me not to fuck it up, so let's get in there and grab 'em before Avengers show up." The second man replied and returned to trying to get into the holding room. I felt Clint softly push my foot, making me move further down the air vents.

* * *

I crawled past screaming, explosions and fire to the only exit that wasn't blocked, or broken in two. All the time I felt Clint right behind me, keeping me going as I felt sick from the blood loss. _Everyone is being killed. Someone set us up. They wanted us to think it was Clint. I promise guys, I will make the right man pay._

"Nearly there Blue." Clint whispered and his voice bounced around the vent and into my mind. It was comforting to know he was with me through this.

"I wish I went to your flat now." I half joked as I saw the end of the vent. I paused, looking out into the darkness that was the basement of the building. The lights had gone out during the attack and I hoped everyone had ran from the basement at the first signs of a battle. I slowly opened the vent and dismounted clumsily, landing on my knee's sending a shooting pain through my side. I bit on my lip as spots flashed over my eyes.

"Can you hear me? Blue, you still with me?" Clint's voice started as a mumble and slowly reached my ears as the spots cleared.

"Sure, Bird Brain, wouldn't want to leave it all to you." I joked forcing myself to my feet, before falling into the wall just behind me. Clint rushed to my side, lifting my top before I had chance to stop him. "I think you're meant to buy me dinner first." I hissed as he press on the cut.

"This is deeper than it looked. We need to get you out of here and patched up." Clint said studying the cut. His callus finger tips sending a mixture of pain and pleasure through my brain, completely messing up my ability to think straight.

"Yeah, sure, just Clint?" I asked my mind swimming.

"Yeah?" He asked, taking his hands off my side to look me in the eyes.

"Don't touch me like that again." I sighed, with a smirk as I slid down the wall to my butt. I felt clammy, my skin had sweat glossing it and I knew it was a bad sign. _When is the serum going to kick in? Start fixing me up?_

"Sorry Blue," Clint smirked wrapping an arm under mine and pulled me to my feet. "I can't help myself." He joked wincing himself as he held me up.

"I'm sorry for what they did to you." I admitted as we wondered towards the exit that led to the stair well. I just prayed everyone was busy on the floors above us.

"I understand, and it's not the first beating I've had." He admitted as we walked. "There was a few SHIELD agents who took their go while you were passed out in the tower. Why do you think Fury placed me to watch over you?" He asked, the emotion gone from his voice as he talked.

"I never thought of it like that." I admitted softly as we struggled towards the door.

"We should head to the tower." Clint suggested as a new flash of pain ran through my side. My body really didn't like moving. I groaned as we moved towards the exit.

"I think, I'd rather go to the hospital. This rough and ready look really isn't working for me." I tried to joke but my voice came out weak and it pissed me off hearing my voice like that. I hated sounding weak.

"Bruce can patch you up fine. Plus I dig scars, I think they'll make you look hotter." Clint joked, pulling more of my dead weight onto his shoulders. I smirked at him as the door opened, the light flooding the dark room, almost blinding me. The next thing I heard was guns being cocked and aimed at us.

"We found them boss!" A man yelled as a group moved closer to us.

* * *

So what do you all think? Again So Sorry it took so long for the update, I hope you guys wont hold it against me. Drop me a review and let me know what you all think! Ginkies!


	5. Just Too Close

Again, I am sorry updates are all over the place with this story. But I hope you are all still enjoying them! Thank you to everyone who reviewed, alerted or favourites it! Enjoy!

* * *

Somewhere between the very short lived struggle, the man handling which let's be honest, wasn't necessary, and being thrown into the back of truck I blacked out from the injuries my body had received.

_I was back in the circus at night. The shadows cast long and wide across the circus tent as I looked around for anyone. I shivered as cold breeze pushed past my skin. It wasn't exactly a place I enjoyed, yet I kept finding myself returning to this place._

"_Hello?" I called out, searching the Tardis like tent. I wondered into the darkness, helplessly looking for any sign of light. Another blast of icy air rushed past me as I wrapped my arms around my body._

"_Hey Blue!" A voice called from behind me. The voice was so far away I barely heard it. "Blue over here!" The voice added, a whisper in the darkness. I peered in that direction but I couldn't see anything but the pitch blackness._

"_Ptichka? What are you going here?" Dimitri's voice called out from in front of me. I turned as a spot light shone on him. He was stood in a white shirt and dark jeans. He looked good, he had no signs of injuries at all._

"_Here? I'm... kinda hoping I'm dreaming." I admitted with a nervous laugh. My heart jumped into my throat as I looked at Dee._

"_Blue?!" The whisper of a voice called out behind me again. I looked over my shoulder, but I still couldn't make out the callers face, let alone anything else._

"_Ptichka, you're not meant to be here. This isn't your time." Dimitri said with a small smirk. "Although you do always like doing things by your own schedule." He added with the warm chuckle he had._

"_Am I? Did I die?! I mean, sure I was pretty banged up but the serum should have kicked in and started to heal me. I wasn't __**that**__bad!" I said rambling, pushing my loose hair out of my face. The whole time Dimitri just stood there, chuckling to himself._

"_Nothing changes with you huh?" He asked folding his arms over his chest. I stopped rambling and looked up to meet his gaze. His eyes showed so much love, so much caring that it took my breath away meeting his gaze. Then the pang of guilt hit me, it hit me hard in the guts jostling me from my thoughts._

"_Did it hurt?" I whispered out, scared of the question. My voice had become weak and broke as my eyes stayed locked on his. He paused, giving me a look of pure sympathy._

"_A little, you know, the blood loss isn't fun." Dee shrugged softly as he avoided looking into my eyes.. "But passing on? No, it's kinda nice. Calming." He added meeting my gaze again._

"_I blamed the wrong guy. I was so certain. Now..." I sighed looking away into the darkness. I was in a world of confusion, everything I had thought had been proven wrong and I was left, scared and alone._

"_You'll get the right guy." Dee said firmly as the whisper called out to me again._

"_Who is it? Who shot you?" I asked biting my lip. I was still scared of the answers._

"_Go back, Barton's calling for you." Dee said looking over my shoulder to the darkness that called for me._

"_I don't want to leave you." I admitted sadly, my voice breaking as I spoke. The tears rolled freely down my face as I sobbed softly._

"_Ptichka, I'll always be here for you." Dee said softly as the spot light faded out. "Now go back." Dimitri's voice bounced in the darkness before fading away completely. I wiped the tears away and took a deep breath._

"_Blue?" The same whisper of a voice called out behind me. I looked at the darkness all around me and sighed. A new resolve bubbled inside, instead of rage and anger, purpose bubbled within me. A purpose that sent me back. I turned and ran towards the whisper._

"_I am not going out like this! Not until someone pays for James and Dimitri. Not until I kick some major arse!" I smirked to myself as the whisper became louder as a light appeared in front of me. As I ran into the light a scorching pain ran through my body._

The scream that escaped my lips was more than anything I had imagined. The raw pain, the raw, blunt pain I felt course through my body as my eyes shot open and I took in my surroundings in seconds. I was in a room with high windows, with bars over them. I was chained up, my wrists aching. A man was jabbing me in the side, coursing the pain to wash over my senses. Behind the man, Clint was sat, struggling to get off the chair they had him tied up to. The man who jabbed my side chuckled at Clint, his hand grabbing hold of my face roughly, inadvertently making me have duck face. At which I rolled my eyes.

"Don't." Clint growled with his best bad ass glare that was on a par with Natasha's on her best days.

"What's a matter Clinton, don't wanna share?" The man asked smirking at Clint, his hand still placed on my face.

"Barney, don't." Clint said through grit teeth as he looked at the other man. I was surprised to find Clint knew the guy. Barney let go of my face and stormed over to Clint back handing his face in one swift, painful crack. I saw Clint spit out some blood, before turning to look up at Barney. The pair was glaring at each other. Clearly there was no love loss between the pair.

"If you need a moment, I'll leave." I joked, screwing my face up at the pain that swarmed around my body. Barney turned to me letting out a bitter laugh. He was the same height as Clint, with a very similar build.

"I like you." Barney announced stalking back towards me. "You're kinda funny." He added.

"I aim to please." I sighed, forcing myself to focus on his grey eyes. They looked so similar to Clint's it took my breath from me. "And just who are you?" I asked composing myself.

"Oh I'm sorry." Barney smirked. "I haven't introduced myself." He added jabbing my side again as he answered. "Barney Barton." I let out another scream as the flashes that crossed my vision threatened to take me back to the darkness.

"Barney!" Clint growled, struggling in the chair. Clint was pissed, his anger was seeping out of every pore as he pulled against the restraints that held him to the chair.

"What happened to shaking hands like regular people?" I coughed out, bashing my head against the brick wall behind me. The pain only slightly dulling as I heard the slow drip of what I guessed was my blood on the floor. It was a sound I'd heard a million times before, it didn't mean I liked it any more.

"Honey, we're well past that." Barney said whispering into my ear. It made me feel dirty, like I wanted to beat him until he stopped moving. I really wanted to wash my ear to boot. "But we can get to know each other better, if you want." He added before lightly kissing my cheek.

"Stay away from her!" Clint cried out, the rage clear in his voice. Barney chuckled again, turning to face Clint.

"I'm sorry, is little Clinton trying to threaten his big brother?" Barney asked shaking his head as he walked towards Clint.

"You keep your hands off her." Clint growled as his brother stood just out of reach. With his back to me, I flashed back to the image of the archer. It was Barney, not Clint I saw. _Of course, hello! He's been pulling the strings since the beginning. He's the killer! He's the one I'm going to make pay! He's the one who is going to be begging me for his life._

"Or what?" Barney smirked to his little brother. Clearly Barney enjoyed teasing his little brother. Having so much power over him that Clint was left to empty threats.

"He doesn't have to threaten anything." I said bringing both set of grey stormy eyes to rest on me. They looked so similar, yet so different it was amazing. "Because I already owe you two good lickings for the people you killed." I said in my cold monotone voice. _I am an agent of S.W.O.R.D, and you're gonna wish you never fucked with us._ I added in my mind, the smirk escaping to my lips. Barney stood there slightly confused for a few moments before glancing at Clint who shrugged nonchalantly in response.

"Are you serious?" Barney choked out, looking between us. A hint of amusement in his voice, masking a bigger hint of surprise.

"Deadly." I stated, keeping my nerve. Now I had my killer there was no way I was going to let him get away. Not now, not ever.

"You're barely alive, hell if it wasn't for me, you'd be dead right now." Barney stated shaking his head. "Clinton's tied to a chair, his shoulders dislocated, he can't move them if he wanted to." My eyes darted to Clint in shock and he just nodded, barely enough for anyone to register. "And here you are, some poxy, British James Bond wanna be, threatening me?" Barney laughed pointing to himself. His laughter echoing around the room and bouncing off the thick walls.

"A threat is just words. I am going to make you bleed and when I'm done with you, you're gonna wish I let you die." I said keeping my eyes locked on Barney who stood there in stunned silence. Barney, much like his brother, had a similar hawk like gaze, only Barney's isn't as intense, no where near Clint's. Moments past as I just held my gaze on Barney Barton, his cocky exterior slowly fading as he realised I was serious and his fate was already made the moment he pulled back the first arrow. Barney blinked first. I smirked as he blinked and quietly made his way out of the room, slamming the door shut as he left.

* * *

"You shouldn't piss him off." Clint said sighing as he tried to relax some of his muscles. From the expression on his face, it wasn't working.

"He killed my people." I said looking up at my wrists. "He started it." I added, huffing and I tried to flick the hair off my face unsuccessfully.

"He's using you to get to me." Clint admitted sounding slightly defeated. "He planted the arrows, the pen drive. He managed to break into the Tower the same way I escape when I don't want anyone to know where I've gone..."

"How do you know?" I asked looking at Clint, who was talking to the floor looking defeated.

"He told me while you were out. He's been planning this for years. Trying to find the one person who I'd do anything to protect." Clint admitted, still talking to the floor. "His first choice got killed during the Chitauri invasion."

"Wouldn't he come after Natasha?" I asked confused as Clint looked up at me. The bruises under his eye had come out, the ones on his jaw had turned yellowy green. Looking at Clint I shuddered to think how badly I looked.

"She is the obvious choice, but Barney's watched me for years now. He knows..." Clint cleared his throat and looked away from me. "Can you get out of those?" He asked quickly changing the topic as he looked around the room.

"Knows what?" I asked confused. Clint refused to look at me as he scanned the room. "I'm right here, can't miss me. What does Barney know?" I asked again, slightly louder. Clint's eyes searched the room before landing on me. The storm that was brewing behind the grey set my heart off racing.

"You're the one." He admitted. "I love you Blue." He said looking me dead in the eyes. My heart jumped into my throat as I looked at him in shock.

"You... how can you love me? I mean we barely spent six months together. You don't know anything about me." I stammered, scared that he could actually be telling the truth.

"I um... know a lot about you." Clint admitted looking away.

"Like?" I asked confused, my mind racing with a million and one thoughts.

"You've got a dog in the shitty little apartment in Brooklyn you think no one knows about. He's called Arrow and he's a shaggy blonde mixed breed. You leave him with your neighbour who thinks you work for the border agency. You've got no pictures of family in your place just friends. You listen to rock music, which is always playing. You um read horror stories and at the moment working your way through Carey for the third time this year. I think it's your favourite." He admitted looking down to the ground again. For a beat I panicked. There was two people who knew that much about me, Dee and Abby. I hadn't let anyone get close enough to know that much about me. I generally was good at getting other people to tell me about themselves, before you know it, they've told you their whole life and they know next to nothing about you. I liked it that way, hearing Clint tell me so much, it scared me.

"You, are you stalking me?" I choked out, then gave a very worried laugh.

"I.. watch you." Clint admitted and I stopped laughing.

"Come again?" I asked innocently and in total shock.

"Look, after a bad mission or when I've got down time, I found myself wondering to your place." Clint admitted trying to make it all sound so innocent. "Watching you, it brings a peace to me. I know it sounds-"

"Ok, once we get out of here. You and me," I wiggled a finger between us. "We're talking about all this. And for the record I had Arrow, way before I met you." I huffed, turning my attention to the cuffs again. I went to pull my full weight up when I let out a small muted cry of pain. I clamped my eyes shut as the pain rushed over my sense's almost sending me over the edge into the darkness.

"Flynn?" Clint asked, his voice so soft and full of worry. His voice pulled me back, back to the here and now. I took a deep breath and breathed through the pain.

"Yeah Stalker?" I asked opening my eyes and looking straight to Clint, a smirk crossing his face.

"I wasn't stalking you." He smirked at me.

"Pretty sure a judge would disagree there sparky." I hissed as I dropped my head, my eyes catching the small pool of blood that was formed from Barney's jabbing. I frowned at the small pool of blood. _Well that sucks... _

"How you holding up?" Clint asked softly, his voice was so soft, so caring. It made my heart flutter slightly. _Damn it, why did he say he loved me? Doesn't he know what that means to me? Get you're shit together Flynn! You need to take Barney down!_

"I'm bleeding out, slowly. You?" I asked raising my head and forcing myself to look at Clint. The image blurred slightly and I had to blink a couple of times to get back into focus.

"Been better." He admitted softly. I dropped my head back down and let out a small sigh.

* * *

The night crept on us with its rather icy cold air. The whole room dropped more degrees than I could count. I was shivering. _It's because it's cold in here._ I lied to myself trying my best to hid it from Clint as we stayed in our silence. My eyes directed to the floor as I watched the blood drip slowly into the puddle by my feet. I could feel Clint's eyes land on me once every few minutes as he continued to search the room. I wasn't sure if he was look for an exit, or just trying to keep busy. I let out a small sigh as the 100th drop fell into the puddle.

"My parents died." I said, my voice bouncing around in the silence. Saying the words aloud, reminded me of how much I had lost.

"I'm sorry, I know what that's like." Clint replied as I looked up him. His green eyes showed me a truth to his words, he knew exactly what it was like to have no parents.

"They died in an _accident_ when I was at university." I admitted flicking some hair off my face as I talked. "They were scientists working for a team called Excalibur."

"I've heard of them." Clint said, wiggling slightly in his chair.

"I didn't know at the time. I just thought they were scientists." I replied as I continued with my story. "About a month after their house set on fire and they died, Betsy came to me. She was a family friend, her and her big brother Brian. They used to baby sit me when I was younger." I said with a small smile remembering how much the siblings used to play fight with me. Betsy was always on my side. "She found me in a lecture and explained it all to me. Who had killed them, and why, apparently they had been working on something that would change the world, that they had received threats. That people were going to come after me, so they gave themselves up to save me. She explained how she had made sure the people who had killed them had paid for it." I explained looking out into space. "Back then I wanted to leave uni. Run away and just pretend none of it happened." I added coldly as if I wasn't part of the story just a narrator.

"But you didn't?" Clint asked softly, bringing me back from my memories.

"After Betsy left, the day after even. I was visited by Abigail Brand. She told me how my parents work had helped so many people, including her team. She told me about S.W.O.R.D and how I could be an asset to her new team. She said, all I needed to do was finish my degree. So I did, and I joined S.W.O.R.D, ready to take revenge on the world." I explained softly. Then I let out a heavy sigh. "I don't have any pictures up, because I don't _have_ pictures. They were all destroyed in the fire." We sat there in silence as I looked back down to the blood drips. I had no idea why I shared that with Clint, Brand was the only other person who knew about my family outside of Excalibur. I didn't want everyone to know I was Flynn as in the great Martha and James Flynn, the great scientists because, I never really felt like I lived up to their image.

"What did you do your degree in?" Clint asked slightly confused. I blinked bringing myself out of my thoughts as I looked at Clint with a soft smile on my lips.

"A major in astrophysics and a minor in languages." I replied like it was nothing.

"That I didn't know." He smirked at me.

"Tell me something no one knows about you." I said returning his smile.

"Um... why?" He asked arching an eyebrow. He looked really suspicious of me and I had to hide a small giggle.

"Because you stalk me and know more about me than I do about you, so spill." I teased as Clint rolled his eyes at me.

"Fine." He sighed as he thought of something to say to me. "Ok, there's only four people who know this about me." He announced his eyes darting to the side as he took a shaky breath.

"If it's the stalker thing, don't worry, I'm gonna warn others." I joked smiling at Clint.

"No." He frowned at me before letting out a small smile. "I'm... practically deaf in both ears. I wear hearing aids." He said softly and I took a moment to realise how vulnerable he was being in that moment. He looked like a three year old, with big scared green eyes, all I wanted to do in that moment was run to him, wrap my arms around him and let him know everything was going to be ok.

"Since when?" I asked softly completely surprised that Clint was deaf.

"Practically my whole life." He said softly, his eyes darting away from me as he thought of something else. Some dark memory that still haunted him by the expression on his face.

"So you know sign language?" I asked plainly, bringing him back to me.

"Yeah." He nodded and I smiled. I twitched my hands the best I could do and Clint started to laugh at me. I frowned a little at him in response.

"I think you're a little rusty." Clint smirked at me.

"Why?" I asked confused and frowning still.

"You said _We've goat window Stark up with this._" Clint explained grinning at me.

"Hey, let's see you do any better Robin Hood." I huffed with a playful smirk on my lips.

"I'll give you a refresher course once we get out of here." Clint replied returning my smile.

"Hey, I'm not getting stuck alone with a stalker! I've seen those TV shows, sure it starts all sweet and innocent, then Bam! You're locked up in some, some sex dungeon and you're never seen again!" I joked when I felt another shiver run through my body. I tried my best to repress it, but I knew it wasn't working.

"You're doing that a lot." Clint frowned at me.

"Calling you a stalker? I should think so too-" I started to ramble when Clint cut me off.

"Shiver. You're loosing too much blood. What happened to your serum?" He asked seriously, I could see the worry on his face. I took a moment and thought about it myself. I knew the serum should have kicked in not long after I blacked out. Yet I was still slowly bleeding out. I knew something was wrong with me. I'd known for a few weeks something was wrong. I was getting headaches that were next to impossible to shake, cuts, bruises were taking longer to heal than they should have. I knew the serum was failing but I didn't want to be taken away to be prodded and tested on. I knew if I mentioned it to anyone they would have reported me to Brand and I wouldn't see action for a long time.

"Guess it's not working." I answered simply, shrugging as best I could.

"How long?" Clint asked as if he could read my mind.

"Weeks, it's been slowly breaking down I think." I admitted softly.

"You should have told someone." Clint sighed softly.

"I couldn't exactly get hold of Bruce or Tony and they are the only two I trust with this." I admitted softly.

"I know... Does it mean, you can't use your power?" Clint asked looking me straight in the eyes.

"I can barely keep my head up, it takes a lot to use the power." I replied sighing. "I don't think I can even manage a spark right now." I added softly.

"We'll get out of this. Do you still have that bracelet?" Clint asked thinking about something, a small plan forming behind his eyes.

"Um... no." I replied looking around the room. "I broke it off my wrist when I got home from..." I let the words die in my throat as I fought not to shiver again. _Damn it! It's getting worse, come on think warm thoughts, think warm thoughts. Fire, fire is hot. Showers filling the room with steam. Tony's pulsar thingy, that must be hot. Natasha's glare, hell that could melt the ice in seconds. Keep think hot thoughts! _

"Hey! Are you listening to me?" Clint asked, half amused, half worried.

"Sorry, you were saying?" I asked as he gave me a look but continued with his own train of thought.

"We just need to hold on. The others will come. Just stay with me Blue." Clint almost begged the last part as I met his gaze. I gave him a lazy smile.

"You didn't watch me in the shower did you?" I asked arching an eyebrow as his chuckle bounced off the walls.

* * *

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please review and let me know how it's going, if you like it! Thanks.


	6. Dying To Hear Those Three Little Words

Hey everyone! Thank you so much for the reviews and alerts! I've struggled with a few chapters ahead of this one and didn't want to update until I got something I liked. I *think* I'm past it now and I'll try to update more often! Enjoy this chapter!

* * *

The morning came and so did the new numbness to my body. It gave me a welcome relief from the pain that pulsed through it, however, I knew all too well that numbness was a bad sign. It was a sign that my body was shutting down and I had to get help fast if I was going to keep my promise. _And shit to buggery if I wasn't going to keep that promise. Barton will feel his own blood pour out of him before I'm done._ That thought had kept me going during the night. Long after Clint had fallen asleep, long after the shivers had given way to numbness, to now. To the morning. The door opened and Barney walked in beaming at the pair of us.

"Morning campers, how we feeling?" He smirked, looking at his baby brother and ruffling up his hair. Clint moved his head away from Barney's hand defiantly.

"So for breakfast, I'm thinking I'll go for the eggs, bacon and fried bread." I joked making Barney turn his attention over to me. He smirked wiggling a finger in my direction.

"I am _so_ glad you've not lost your humour during the night." Barney said standing in front of me, his cold gaze locked on my face. His features, they were all so similar to Clint's yet at the same time completely different. So cold, so hard, so evil for lack of a better word. I'd gone up against my fair share of crazy guys, I'd seen men willing to take everything out to make a point. I'd been tied to walls and ripped into until they thought nothing was left. But Barney Barton, there was something within him, something deep and dark and twisted. This was more than revenge, more than just bringing pain upon people. It was that evil that made me more determined to keep my shit together and not break under his torture.

"Well there was a moment, where I thought I was loosing it, but it just came back seeing your face sunshine." I quipped with a small smirk. My heart was racing and I was filled with more fear then I had felt in a long time, but I wasn't going to cave, not now. Not ever.

"Excellent, I've got a long, _long,_day planned for you two." Barney said looking from me to Clint. "I hope you've had plenty of rest. You're going to need it!" Barney said beaming at the pair of us as he headed back out of room.

"You know, you're brother kinda sucks." I admitted blowing some hair off my face.

"He takes after Dad..." Clint said just above a whisper.

"I take it, that's not a good thing." I replied making Clint look up at me with stormy eyes. His eyes were full of so much sadness, so much guilt so much pain. Before he could answer, Barney walked back in with a table of things. It was the usual spiel, torture one of us until the other cracked. I had been in the same situation more times than I'd like to count. I sighed rolling my eyes, when I caught the moment of fear in Clint's eyes. He was scared of his brother, and that unsettled me. Clint was never scared, annoyed yes, peeved, yes, but never scared. The last time I saw him scared, well I didn't see him, I saw through Loki's eyes. It was when Loki would bring Clint out of his control just enough for him to realise what he'd done. I knew Loki loved to do that to Clint. I shivered at that memory, praying this moment wasn't going to be a memory I shivered at in the future.

"So, baby brother, I think we've got some _issues_ we should work out." Barney said pulling the cart up next to me. I glanced at the cart and it was knives, saw's and even a couple of needles. I rolled my eyes looking unimpressed by it all. The amount of times I had been beaten at the hands of the bad guys just because I was a woman. It was old, it was boring and frankly totally unoriginal. Yet here we were.

"No!" Clint said firmly as if to give Barney an order.

"No?" Barney spat out picking up a small knife. "Now what makes you think, you can tell me anything?" Barney almost growled, waving the small knife around in the air.

"You want me Barney? You got me! Right here, tied to this damn chair! You know I can't move, my shoulders are dislocated and I can't even feel my hands any more! You don't need the girl! You've got me!" Clint cried out, pulling on the ropes that held him in the chair but nothing gave. Barney paused, holding the knife in the air. He looked at Clint and chuckled loudly.

"This is The Great Hawkeye?! The cocky archer who never misses? The main attraction?This is the Avenger? The man so many idiots look up to? This, this!" Barney chuckled out loud mocking his baby brother. "This is the man so many are scared of? Poor, broken, battered little Clinton?" He chuckled, clearly amused at the idea of Clint just handing himself over. It was a situation most villains would die for, and he Clint was just giving himself over to Barney.

"Barney, please..." Clint begged, his eyes darting to mine. The look he gave me in that split second, it hit me right in the guts, it took the air right out of my lungs. The look of a man who would sacrifice anything, even his life for me. In that moment I realised I would do the same for him.

"I like that." Barney smiled as he moved over to me. "Yeah I like that, _Barney please_." Barney mocked Clint waving the knife around in the light of the room.

"Please Barney, don't." Clint begged again, all the training had gone and this was just Clint Barton the man. He was so broken, so scared, so unlike the man I had known.

"Don't what?" Barney asked innocently with a mocking smile. "This?" He asked taking the knife and tracing it down my forearm, a thin deep red line after the blade as it sliced into my skin.

"No!" Clint cried out, fighting the ropes around him. It took a moment for my body to register what was happening and it was only when I saw the crimson red run down my arm that I realised he cut me. As soon as my eyes saw the blood the burning sting from the blade reached my brain. _You've been stabbed... gee talk about slow._

"Ok. Ow." I said turning my head so I could see Barney clearly. "You're gonna want to say sorry for that." I said firmly, glaring at him slightly. It wasn't my best glare, I didn't have the energy for my bets glare and that annoyed me slightly.

"Oh really?" He asked punching me in the face, sending the world past my face in a blur. I could swear I saw a few stars as I blinked to make things come back into focus. In the background I heard Clint call out for Barney to leave me alone.

"That wasn't very nice at all." I said licking my lip and tasting the blood. The copper taste, it was a tool, something I used to keep my head in the game, to stay focused.

"Ask Clinton, I'm not a nice person." He smirked pulling a needle off the table and ejecting out some of the liquid. I didn't mind needles, I had never been scared of them, but the luminous orange liquid in the needle did get my heart racing.

"Barney! No! Please!" Clint begged as Barney turned to him. Barney smirked looking at the needle, then to Clint. The pleading, the fear on Clint's face, he really was scared of his big brother and what he might do. And well hell is Barney wasn't loving every second of his baby brothers fall from grace.

"You remember when I begged for help?" Barney asked plainly, his eyes locked on Clint's. "When I knew S.H.I.E.L.D was gonna come after me." He added the venom clear in his voice. Barney was so mad, his voice had a lying calmness to it.

"Barney, please, I tried... I tried." Clint begged, pulling on the ropes. The desperation on Clint's face hurt to see. His grey green eyes darting to mine, pleading for me to understand how sorry he was, how bad he felt.

"Yeah, sure you did kid. You tried so hard they knew exactly where to find me!" Barney snapped walking over to my arm and yanking it towards him. I knew I'd have bruises from where Barney had gripped me, it was that hard.

"I didn't... I didn't tell them where you were I promise!" Clint cried out, sounding more like a little brother than a well-trained agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. He was begging so hard for Barney to believe him, so bad that Clint was nearly in tears watching his brother man handle me.

"You let them find me Clinton! They beat the shit out of me!" Barney screamed back as he injected something into my arm. At first it was a warm buzz to my numb body, something that woke my muscles and let me know I was still all there. "They locked me up for seven years in a shit hole!" Barney yelled, throwing the empty needle in the direction of Clint. The needle smashing into bits as it landed on the floor.

"I didn't know... I swear Barney!" Clint cried out as his voice drifted away from me. The world almost drifted away from me too as colours merged together turning a sickly orange colour then fading to hues of grey. _Shit! I'm seeing in black and white! What is this shit?!_ Was the last coherent thought my mind had on the subject as so many things swirled around my mind.

* * *

I had lost all track of time and space. I knew I was still tied up because Barney kept jabbing, cutting and punching me. I knew I was whimpering, letting out cries of pain, even though I didn't want to. As the grey world around me span I jumped back seeing a sight that chilled me to the bone. My heart jumped into my throat as blinked, trying my best to make the image in front of me disappear back to wherever the hell it came from.

"No, no this isn't real... Oh god no, no... please no..." I muttered as I blinked furiously.

"Have you missed me?" Loki's hiss filled my ears and took over my senses. Everything was shades of grey apart from Loki. He had to be Technicolor didn't he?

"Like I miss a bullet to the brain." I huffed and tried to move my head, but it was so thick, so heavy it just wouldn't move. The drugs had well and took over my whole body.

"Who is this amateur?" Loki asked full of distaste as he looked at the grey Barney, waving something shiny in his hands. I struggled to understand Barney had a knife in his hands.

"A jackass." I muttered as Barney came in for another attack. I let out a tired, exhausted scream as Barney spoke to Clint. I couldn't hear what they were saying, their voices were just mumbles in the background.

"Well yes, clearly he doesn't know what he's doing. At this rate you'll be dead before I've even had my fun." Loki frowned watching as Barney walked over to Clint and slapped him. "And leave my _little hawk_ alone!" Loki added with a hint of anger in his voice. Barney stopped and turned to face me, his expression confused.

"What did you say?" Barney's words came out in such a clarity it actually made me jump slightly.

"_I_ said, leave my _little hawk alone_! I mean really, you think you know how to torture?" Loki's words came out of my voice and in a sick way I was glad to have him as back up. Barney let go of Clint's face, and it slump to the side softly. His eyes wide as they watched in horror as Barney marched over to me, the look of utter anger plastered on his face.

"Who do you think you are?" Barney asked slapping my face. A splash of colour filling my vision from the pain.

"See! If he keeps slapping you, it'll make whatever he pumped you with wear off." Loki tutted moving over to Clint. "Well hello, how I've missed you my little hawk." He smirked watching as Clint struggled to sit up in the chair.

"No!" I screamed out, head butting Barney in the process. I was trying to warn Clint about Loki. Loki's hand was tracing along Clint's shoulders and it chilled me to the core to think Loki could take control of Clint again any moment he wanted to.

"You little bitch!" Barney cried out, the crimson red blood, a startlingly difference to the grey world I found myself in, poured out of his nose. Barney slapped my face harder, the colour lasting a little longer before returning to the grey. Barney and Clint's cries died down back to the mumbles in my background as Loki walked over to me, looking really unimpressed with the situation he found himself in.

"You know, I had so much promise in you." Loki stated as I knew I was screaming out in pain, only I couldn't hear my voice. "You were meant to be a Queen, a Queen to the one true God. Me. You would have everything you would have wanted. All I required was for you to open the portal. You had the power, you alone." Loki said stroking my cheek with that damn creepy smile on his face. "Yet these humans, they do make themselves so useful, they built a machine. A machine that would keep the portal open." Loki smirked as he walked over to stand directly in front of me.

"I never been much for kings and queens." I muttered as my head fell onto my chest. It was so heavy I couldn't move if I wanted to.

"Yes, I can see that now." Loki admitted bowing his head to me slightly, so that he could see into my eyes. "I can see it all the way from Asgard." Loki smirked at me, sending a chill down my spine.

"You're... this isn't just a hallucination?" I choked out, my eyes going wide, as somewhere in my body something snapped and I added a scream to my question. The fear of Loki telling the truth, it was enough to make me want to run away and I never ran from a fight.

"No. I'm sorry but what gave you the illusion I had ever left?" Loki asked amused with me as I shook my head.

"You are a, you're hallucination. I, I, I broke the link between us. Thor made sure, he promised me, this, this isn't real." I said stammering over my words. The fear clear for anyone to hear, only it looked like Barney and Clint couldn't hear me.

"Thor? What does that oaf know about matters such as the Tesseract?" Loki asked smugly folding his arms over his chest as he watched me.

"No this is just... whatever the hell I'm pumped with." I cried out shaking my head. "My worst fears, that's all. My worst fears appearing to haunt me. Otherwise... you would have shown sooner." I summarized, looking Loki dead in the eyes. I put so much resolve into my words, I forced myself to believe them even if they weren't true. Loki gave me that creepy grin spreading to disproportionate levels.

"Clever _little bird_, very clever." Loki laughed as his image faded into the grey and disappeared. My screams were loud enough that, even though I couldn't hear them, I could feel them. Barney was going to town on me, on my body, the black and white world making it seem less real than it was. My head dropped onto my chin as I saw bright red blood run off my chin to the floor.

"Well Smurfette, you're not looking too hot." Tony said appearing in the room. He was chewing some gum, blowing a bright purple bubble with it. Again, like Loki he was in Technicolour, his blue glowing ring in his chest a stark difference to the world I found myself in.

"Really?" I asked sarcastically using all my strength to put my head up and meet Tony's gaze. It was hard, really hard to meet Tony's gaze. I just wanted to drop my head and let myself fall into the darkness I could feel approaching.

"He's done a number on you." Tony winced as he shook his head. "If I had Jarvis here I'd let him run the numbers on your survival rate." Tony sighed, leaning on the chair next to Barton. "Then again Feathers isn't looking to much better." Tony added glancing at Clint who was just as bloody and beaten.

"Are you here to help or... just annoy me?" I asked coughing up some blood as Barney started punching Clint again.

"Haunt generally, annoy a little, I mean come on Smurfette, are you really ready to just throw in the towel?" Tony asked blowing another bubble. "Can't you see how badly Fathers needs you? The man loves you for crying out loud. The least you could do is keep fighting." Tony added wincing as each punch landed on Clint. I knew Tony was right, I had to keep fighting. I had to keep Clint fighting.

"Stop!" I cried out, loud enough to make Tony stop blowing his bubble and Barney stop from hitting Clint. Barney turned to me and his hand was covered in bright red liquid.

"Stop?" Barney asked chuckling at me, his voice nasally. "What are you going to take the beating instead?" Barney asked slowly walking over to me, the bright red drops falling from his knuckles. My eyes darted to Tony who was stood next to Clint. Clint was pulling against the ropes, trying in vein

"Leave her alone!" Clint cried out his eyes so wide. He was just a man, just a broke, terrified man who wanted to save one last person before the lights went out for good.

"Smurfette, look at me." Tony's voice came out crystal as the other two voices slipped into the background noise. I looked into Tony's deep brown eyes and gave him a small smile as he winked at me. "You can do this." He said softly, a warm smile on my face.

"I can do this." I muttered as I felt the first punch land on my body. The whole time I was smiling at Tony who stood there watching me, his eyes locked on me.

* * *

_Days. Weeks. Months._ Hell I had no idea how long it had been. I knew my body ached, screamed for the release death should have already brought me. But even in this monotone world I knew I had a _long_ way to go before Death would be so kind to drop by and say hi. I kept having hallucinations too, most of the time it was Loki, teasing me, joking about Barney, sometimes it was Stark, his smart arse comments keeping me strong. Other times I saw Steve, his gentle words keeping me fighting as I tried to go on. Natasha would come along and snap at me for being so weak when her partner needed me to be strong. Bruce would appear and we'd discuss Gamma radiation and it's effects. Thor would appear and try to free Clint from the chair unsuccessfully, then frown at me in confusion. Each member of The Avengers appeared to me, helping me to stay strong and keep fighting when I just wanted to quit.

"Please, please hear me." Clint's broken, raspy voice came out of the background.

"Clint?" I asked blinking furiously to make him come into focus. He was still in hues of grey, but at least he was alive.

"Hey, there you are." Clint said with a warm smile. He looked exhausted and broken, but at least he was still alive.

"I hurt." I muttered as I felt my eyes droop. I was so tired, to exhausted. I was ready to quit.

"Come on, stay with me. It's just a few scratches. You're tougher than that, right?" Clint asked, a hint of a challenge in his voice. I looked up and took a deep breath.

"I can beat the night, I'm not afraid of thunder, I am full of light, I am full of wonder. I'm not going to fall under." I muttered my voice was barely a whisper, the words slurred.

"Exactly." Clint gave me a weak smile. "I'm sorry." He broke, the emotion running over his words.

"Sorry? Wha for?" I slurred as I forced my brain to focus on Clint. But my mind was foggy, as if full of too much information to focus on just one thing. My body had so many injuries it was hard for my brain to catalogue them all, I was having a bit of trouble knowing what was real and what was hallucinations; and finally I just wanted to give into the darkness I felt just round the corner.

"Barney wants revenge, he's using you to get it." Clint admitted, his voice was so broke, so weak. I could hear the guilt lace every word out of his mouth as he spoke. "If I didn't stalk you, hadn't fallen for you. He would never have bothered with you." He added softly, his voice barely a whisper.

"So you admit you stalk me?" I joked, laughing a little which quickly turned to coughing. Each cough brought the colour back to the world for a split second. It also cleared a little of the fog that coated my mind.

"Try not to talk." Clint said sadly as I fidgeted with my fingers.

"No. This is good." My voice was becoming sightly less slurred. I dug my fingertips into a healed cut on my wrist. I dug into the slice until it bled and the blood brought colour back to me. I blinked a few times as colour rushed back to the monotone world I had been living in. I felt the blood drip over my fingertips and I hissed as the fuzz that clogged my brain for so long cleared. I looked over to Clint in my new Technicolor life to find a horror I hadn't expected to see. He had bruises on top of bruises, slices and cuts decorated most of his body, I saw a few older stab wounds in his legs. Although his grey eyes shone brightly, the rest of him, slumped into the chair a mass if blood and bruises.

"You don't look so good." I choked out, coughing sending the searing pain up my side again. I glanced the best I could to my left side and noticed a couple of bones pointing out. "When did _that_ happen?" I asked truly shocked about how banged up I was. Clint chuckled to himself softly.

"What's happened?" He asked, his voice a husky memory of the voice I knew.

"Barney's fuzzy juice worn off. But damn," I cried out, feeling the heat of a thousand undiscovered injuries hit me in one sitting. "I wish I was still under." I admitted clamping my eyes shut and trying my best to breath through the pain.

"You, um, kept talking to yourself." Clint admitted as I opened my eyes, Clint had an eyebrow perfectly arched. I felt the heat hit my cheeks.

"I was um... hallucinating." I answered with a nervous laugh. "You know... nothing big."

"You kept talking to Tony, am I missing something?" Clint teased, trying his best to smile at me.

"He doesn't stalk me." I joked softly as we both heard Barney heading back this way. "How long has this been going on?" I asked looking from the door back to Clint.

"I make it two weeks. I don't understand why the others haven't found us." Clint admitted as the door opened and Barney walked in with a smug smile. Clearly he had caught the last of our conversation. I tried my best to act like I was still out of it because, honestly I wish I was.

"You talking to yourself Clinton?" Barney asked glancing at me. I was mumbling to myself as I unfocused my eyes. It appeared it was surprisingly easy to trick Barney.

"Just counting the days." Clint replied. "Wondering when the rescue was coming." He added slumping into his seat.

"Well S.H.I.E.L.D and S.W.O.R.D think you've both defected. Gone Rogue." Barney laughed clapping his hands together. "As for those weirdos you live with...They _were_ looking for you until bigger things got in their way. Like Fury shutting down The Avengers, after a member went rogue and trashed S.W.O. headquarters. The two are at each others throats, and I'm, just going to sit back and watch the money roll in." He added walking over to the table with instruments now caked in blood.

"You're lying!" Clint hissed as he was met with a harsh slap across the face.

"Poor little Clinton, they've all left you again. Every last one. Well, who could blame them?" Barney asked stalking over to me, a rather dull blade in his hands as he walked. "I mean look at you. You're nothing but that weak, broken little boy no one wanted. Dad didn't want you, Mom just put up with you. I never wanted to be stuck with such a snot nosed little prick!"

"Shut up!" Clint barely managed to cry out, as I looked over and noticed Barney had broken him. Barney had managed to do what so many, _many_ bad guys had tried to do for years, what S.H.I.E.L.D had tried, even Loki. Sure Loki got close but no one had broken Clint Barton until Barney mentioned his childhood.

"Poor baby Clinton. No one wanted you. Dad had to kill him and Mom to get away from you. The orphanage only took you for the money. The foster homes? Every single one of them gave us back because of _you._ The circus only took you on because you would work for free! No one loves you! Who could? I mean have you seen yourself? You're a broken, snivelling ball of abandonment issues! Hell you couldn't even tell the one person you've been close to the truth! You are so scare of being left behind, you wouldn't even tell her how you felt." Barney said grabbing hold of a fist full of my hair, yanking my head so I could look into Clint's eyes. His grey stormy eyes dulled as Barney's words sunk in. The defeat showed over his whole body. My heart lunged seeing Clint so broken like that. I wanted to reach out, wrap my arms around him and tell him..._Tell him you love him too..._

"Please," Clint begged, the tears rolling freely down his face as he begged with everything he had left. "Just let her go. Kill me, but let her go. Please..." Clint begged completely defeated to his fate. It killed me seeing him like that.

"I've learnt there is a lot more worse things than death Clinton. Like watching the person you love die!" Barney sneered as he plunged the rusty knife into my stomach. I gasped at the pain as I felt the knife go in, then for a few moments, I didn't feel anything.

"No! Barney you son of a bitch! I'm going to kill you!" Clint cried out thrashing against the ropes as the red hot fire burnt through my body from my stomach. I looked down as Barney moved away, he kept the knife in so I'd bleed slower.

"Now who's the one bleeding?" Barney asked roughly grabbing my face and forcing me to look into his eyes.

* * *

Barney had left us to die, well me at least. He was forcing Clint to watch as I died slowly in front of the archer. It had been at least an hour and I was weak. I was weaker than weak. I was dying. I knew it. Clint knew it.

"You know what I hate?" I asked pushing past the pain. It had become to a level I could focus, but I knew it was still there.

"The knife in your stomach?" Clint asked dryly, all colour drained from his face. His eyes were locked on the silver blade poking out of my skin. He wasn't the man I knew, I didn't even know who the person sat opposite me was any more.

"Yeah, but we never had a change to go on a date." I admitted softly letting out a small sigh.

"You wanted to go on a date?" Clint asked softly, his eyes, lifeless and dull drifted up to my eyes.

"Well, sure you're a stalker, but a date would have been nice." I tried to shrug and hissed at the pain it caused.

"My dates are legendary." Clint said, trying his best to play along, but I could tell by the haunting look in his eyes. The light that was fading. I hated to think the man he would become after I died.

"Really? Ok, what would our date be like?" I asked blinking as spots appeared. I wasn't going to die in silence and I wasn't going to die until I was ready. Sure time was running out, but I was going to make the moments count. I wasn't going to die in silence.

"I'd start with a meal in the Tower. Stark's tower has to impress." Clint explained, his eyes drifting back to my stomach. I could hear he was trying to make an effort but his whole body language showed how defeated the archer really was.

"What would you cook?" I asked making him look back up at me. His eyes shone with a guilt as he looked into my eyes. I just wanted so badly to take away the hurt from him. So much it hurt to look into his grey green eyes.

"I'm really good at sushi." Clint replied sounding proud of himself, he even had a small smirk on his face.

"Sushi? Nice choice, very brave for a first date though." I replied as I felt my legs go cold. I knew I didn't have long left, but I didn't want Clint to know.

"You don't like sushi?" Clint asked raising an eyebrow, he sounded surprised.

"Now I'm not answering that question. What happens after food?" I asked smirking a little. I was enjoying the make believe date we were forming in our heads. I was imagining the fun we could have._ The fun we would have had..._

"Well, then I take you up to the roof. Show you the city the way I see it. The roof is magical, and cold. So we'd have to huddle together." Clint smirked at me with a lop sided grin. Even covered in dirt, blood and bruises his half grin made my stomach flutter.

"But what if I don't want to huddle, you are a stalker, remember?" I smirked, pushing aside the numbness that was slowly creeping up my body.

"Oh you will when you see the roof." Clint smirked back, sounding so sure of himself.

"I've seen the roof." I pointed out and he stuck his tongue out at me.

"Shh! Ok, so after a romantic stroll on the roof, we go back to my room. There's dim light and some soft music playing in the background." Clint explained, almost day dreaming it himself.

"Who would have thought you're such a, such a-" I shivered and cried out in pain. It shot through me and a part of me wished I just blacked out. _But oh no, that would be too easy, huh body?_

"Blue, come on hold on." Clint begged, his voice breaking slightly as I met his gaze with tears in my eyes.

"I could do with some huddling right now." I said feeling the coldness creep up my body.

"What music should play?" Clint asked ignoring my statement.

"What?" I asked slightly confused.

"On our date, what music should I play in my room?" Clint asked forcing me to pay attention. I knew he was only trying to keep me awake, but I had to try. I had to try for him.

"I think..." I paused thinking of my favourite song. "I think anything by Finger Eleven or Breaking Benjamin would work."

"Ok, I've not heard of either of them, but I'll find some." Clint replied with a smile.

"The music's not important." I said as the cold had reached my hands and black spots threatened to take my vision from me.

"No? So what is?" Clint asked listening carefully as my eyes drooped.

"It's that..." I sighed, even breathing was becoming an effort. I just wanted to slip into the darkness but there was one more thing I needed to do.

"What?" Clint asked, "Hey come on open those eyes." He added with his worry betraying him.

"That I tell you..." I sighed out and forced my eyes to open and meet his. "I love you too." I answered before falling into the darkness.

* * *

Shaking.  
Someone was shaking me.  
Warm hands held my face, checked my pulse fallowed by more shaking and a mumble of a voice in the distance. They were persistent if nothing else. Always with the shaking. I didn't want to wake up, I liked being in the darkness.

"Come back Blue, come on." Clint voice pierced the darkness, the sadness in his voice hurt my chest. Or at least that's what I thought. I forced my eyes to open and the smile that crossed Clint's face, it was a mixture of happiness and sadness, sobs escaping his lips.

"Hey." I managed to say as Clint's tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Hey, come on lets get you out of here." Clint said wincing as he reached up and picked the locks on the chains above my head.

"I... don't feel... so good." I slurred as the locked opened and my body fell like a dead weight into Clint's arms. The force of my body on his weak body made us both dropped down to the floor in a heap. Clint moved so that he was holding my head in his lap.

"I'm so sorry Robyn." Clint sobbed as he brushed the hair out of my face. I reached up and held his hand.

"Its k." I smiled sadly. "How'd you-" I started to cough and I felt the blood in my mouth.

"I got mad, I saw red. Broke the chair, forced myself to put my arms back into their sockets. I just needed to get to you." Clint said wiping away a tear. His whole body was shaking with fear.

"I love you." I said as I felt a shiver run through my body.

"I love you too." He said leaning down and pressing his lips against mine. His warm was such a dramatic change from my own. I was cold, beyond cold. I was ready to die. I closed my eyes taking in a deep breath.

"Thank you." I whispered out as I felt such a sharp pain in my chest.

"No! No! Come on no!" Clint begged as the pain continued to build in my chest. At the same time there was an almighty roar as the door to the room was ripped off by Hulk. I opened my eyes but everything was blurry as if I was underwater. Hulk let out another roar before walking over to us. He let out a whimper as he fell to his knee's next us, making the floor shake.

"Wonder hurt bad. Hawkeye hurt bad too." Hulk whimpered as I felt a rather large hand brush hair off my face.

"Hey big guy..." I wheezed out through the pain. Moments later, Natasha, Steve Tony and Thor burst through into the room.

"Give them some space." Nat said moving me so I was laid on the floor. I could only tell it was Natasha from the fiery red hair. I could feel her hands on my body, she was checking my pulse, looking at the wounds that decorated my body.

"Clint, are you ok?" I heard Steve asked Clint as Tony knelt by my side.

"She's going. We need to move her now." Tony stated when I felt arms wrap around my body, lifting me in a bridal style. I let out a cry of pain as the building pain in my chest spiked. Hulk let out a small growl as I felt the weight of my body triple. "We're loosing her!" Tony cried out as the darkness took over everything. My last thought. _I kissed Clint, I got to tell him that I loved him. I love him. I love Clint Barton._

* * *

I hope you all enjoyed it, please, please drop a review in and let me know if your all still interested in this story. It's really only just begining!


	7. Somebody Like You

Thank you again for all your kind reviews and awesome alerts! I've had a busy time at the moment, so I hope this update will make as much sense to you as it did when I wrote it :S Enjoy!

* * *

I truly thought I had died happy, kissing Clint and letting him know I felt the same way about him.

Paw's trotting on a wood floor.  
It was the first noise I heard. Those tiny patters as paw's trotted over towards me.

Then the cold, wet nose sniffing my hand, followed quickly by a large wet tongue licking my fingertips. I thought I was asleep on the couch again. Arrow always came and nudged me when I fell asleep. I thought he just wanted to go out for a walk.

"Arrow, come on man! I said you could come in if you left her sleeping. If Tony or Bruce catch me, we're both in the dog house." Steve whispered in a hush tone as the wet nose continued to nudge my hand, the dog letting out a small whimper as the nose pushed my fingertips. As soon as I heard Steve's voice I knew I wasn't in my flat. I also remembered everything that had happened. A part of me wanted to lay there forever and not deal with Dee, James, Barney and Clint. I didn't want to face the deaths of my team, the torture Barney put us through, the broken look in Clint's eyes as I closed mine. No I wanted to stay in bed forever, but Arrow wouldn't stop fussing. "Arrow, I know. But she's just sleeping, she'll wake up soon. I promise." Steve replied as Arrow let out a small grunt and put more force into nudging my hand. It was as if he knew I was awake. Arrow was good at knowing when I was wake and when I was sleeping, and knew how to get the attention he wanted.

"Arrow..." I mumbled as I tried to open my eyes. "Dude, stop it." I mumbled as I forced my eyes open. The room was too bright as I blinked a few times making everything come into focus. Arrow let out a small sigh as he rested his head under my hand, his tail wagging on the wooden floor.

"Flynn?" Steve asked softly as he came into view. I gave him a small smile as he looked exactly as the same. His big baby blues widening as he saw my eyes open, the smile creeping onto his face.

"Hey Cap..." I muttered as I groaned. My whole body ached, it felt like I had been through the washing machine a hundred times. "You brought Arrow?" I asked stroking the mutts head.

"He was getting fussy. Looks like he knew you were waking up today." Steve smiled, his baby blues almost watering as he stroked Arrow.

"He's good at that." I smirked back, looking into Arrow's big brown eyes. "Good mutt."

"Jarvis?" Steve said as I realised I was back in Stark Towers. I mentally slapped myself for not realising Tony would have brought me here.

"_Yes sir?_" Jarvis asked as Arrow looked around the room for the source of the voice.

"Can you tell the others Wonder's up?" Steve asked smiling at me.

"_Certainly Sir. Welcome back Agent Flynn._" Jarvis said before falling silent. Steve looked ready to cry he was so happy.

"What's wrong?" I asked as I tried to move myself to sit up. My whole body rejected the idea, sending shooting pains throughout my body. I screwed my face up when I felt two large hands under my arms, help me sit up.

"Better?" Steve asked as I relaxed in the sitting up position.

"Much." I smirked as Bruce, Tony, Pepper, Natasha and Thor rushed through the door. All of them looked so relieved that I was sat up and talking.

"Bout time you woke up." Tony joked strolling round the side of my bed when he spotted Arrow. "What is _he_ doing in here?!" Tony cried out pointing to Arrow, who turned and glared at Tony. It looked like that pair shared a love hate relationship.

"Arrow knew when Flynn was going to wake up." Steve said as he stroked the mutt again. Tony looked down at Arrow and gave a confused look.

"That so?" He asked as Arrow waggled his tail at Tony. "Well, I guess you can stay. But not too long." Tony said as the dog turned and nuzzled back under my hand.

"How are you feeling?" Bruce asked picking up a chart and reading it. His eyes darted to me before he continued to read.

"My whole body is killing me." I admitted closing my eyes for a beat. "How long have I been out?" I asked opening my eyes and noticing that Clint wasn't stood around with the others. I felt a pang of loneness in my heart. _Where is he? Wouldn't he be here if he knew I was up? Did he make it out?_

"A couple of weeks, your body took a hell of a beating." Bruce frowned at me. I glanced at everyone and they all shared the same look of worry. "We had to keep you sedated while the majority of your injuries healed." Bruce added, pushing his glasses up his nose as his brown eyes met mine.

"Majority? It feels like I should still be out." I huffed closing my eyes as the pain went through my veins from so many points I was having a hard time concentrating on anything.

"Trust me, this is a world away from how you were when we found you." Steve said rubbing my leg softly. I half opened my eyes and saw just how worried everyone looked, and how relieved how they looked as I opened my eyes. Everyone genuinely look relieved that I was ok, and that made me worry just about how badly I was hurt before. _Maybe he didn't make it out then? God I couldn't even begin-_

"Where's Clint?" I asked looking at Natasha, I knew she would know where her partner was at all times. Even though my eyes were on the assassin, I didn't miss the beat where everyone glanced at each other._ This is bad..._

"He's back on the helicarrier in a S.H.I.E.L.D meeting." Natasha lied, I could tell it was a lie by the way the tension in the room broke in that second. I just nodded slowly, as I stroked Arrow.

"Maiden Flynn, I am glad you have awoken." Thor beamed at me. Arrow turned his head and wagged his tail faster at Thor's voice.

"Yeah, we didn't know how long you were going to stay under." Pepper said squeezing my hand. I could tell I had scared Pepper, I'd seen her scared before and I felt bad for making her worry over me.

"Guys, can you give us some room? We need to check a few things and get her comfortable." Bruce announced pushing up his glasses as he glanced at Tony. The pair looked at each other before the others nodded. Clearly I was going to be getting more than just a check up.

"Yeah sure." Pepper said looking at the others, everyone was just happy to see me up and moving. "Get some rest and I'll drop by later." Pepper added squeezing my hand.

"Thanks Peps." I replied as she moved towards the exit.

"Feel better soon Maiden Flynn." Thor boomed as he trudged out of the room. "Maiden Pepper, do we have more Pop Tarts?" Thor's voice boomed through the corridor back to my room making me smirk a little. The guy, was all about pop tarts.

"Get well soon." Natasha said with a short nod before following Thor out of the room.

"I'll take Arrow back to my floor, he's been staying with me." Steve explained tugging softly on Arrow's lead. The dog didn't move, he just let out a small grunt. Clearly now I was awake the mutt didn't want to leave me. Arrow had always been there for me, ever since the Hulk attack, he just showed up one day as a stray and I couldn't help but fall in love with him. I had only called him Arrow because he always knew the way, he was like the arrow of a compass.

"Arrow, it's ok. I'm up now." I said talking to the mutt as if he was another human like I always did. "Go with Steve and behave." I said stroking just behind his ear. Arrow let out another grunt before moving from the side of my bed.

"I'll be back later Wonder." Steve smiled at me before the pair left the room.

* * *

It had been ten minutes since everyone had left the room. In that time Bruce had gone through the usual checks, making sure I had the right pain medication, making sure I was ok and filling in the chart in his hands. Tony, on the other hand, had just lent on the window sill thinking about something. His face was so serious that I was beginning to worry.

"That's it." I announced breaking the silence in the room. Both men snapped their heads over to me looking utterly confused.

"Something on your mind?" Tony smirked at me, pushing himself off the window sill.

"Yes actually. Several things." I huffed, feeling the pain shoot through me again. I pushed past it because I needed to know so much.

"Please, try not to do that." Bruce asked softly re-adjusting something on the chart.

"What's wrong Smurfette?" Tony asked standing by the side of my bed, the smirk still on his lips.

"You're being way too quiet." I stated watching the pair. My eyes darted between the two friends, hoping to catch something off between them.

"I can be quiet!" Tony cried out pointing to himself, making Bruce snigger a little. Tony glared at Bruce who just ignored his friends glare and continued to snigger.

"Yeah... no you can't." I replied with a smirk, brushing some hair off my face. "I need answers." I said glancing from Tony to Bruce.

"Answers for?" Tony asked as he glanced at Bruce.

"Ok, we're all grown up's here-" I started to say when Bruce chuckled.

"Maybe not Tony." He pointed out making me smile a little.

"Ok, not Tony, but we've all got brains here." I added as Tony thought about being called a child then nodded accepting the truth.

"So what's your point?" Tony asked folding his arms over his chest, an amused look on his face.

"Firstly, three weeks? Look I knew something was wrong with the Super Solider Serum way before my last mission, so you guys know what's wrong with it, right?" I asked arching an eyebrow. Bruce looked up from his chart and met Tony's eyes. The pair of them shared a look, followed by some nodding in my direction and the odd shrug. Finally Bruce sighed rubbing his eyes, clearly he had lost the silent argument

"We know the serum isn't working." Bruce sighed as he met my eyes. "We know there is roughly 14% of the serum left in your system and the number drops by the day." Bruce added seriously. I sat there in a pregnant pause, letting the words sink it. It wasn't a total shock, I'd known something was wrong for a few weeks, I just hadn't known a way to get to Tony and Bruce.

"14% is left?" I choked out in shock, I was more shocked about how little was left. "What... how is it breaking down?" I asked looking between the pair.

"The best bet we have..." Tony said as he paced the room. "The Tesseract energy is breaking down the serum, possibly modifying it, but we're not even sure of that." He added turning and leaning on the edge of my bed. I nodded slowly as Tony gave me a look that was somewhere between worried and deadly serious.

"Well explains why it took so long to wake up..." I sighed running a hand through my hair. I nodded to myself as it all sunk in. I was going to be human in a matter of days with Tesseract Energy running through me.

"The serum was still working, just less and less, it's how you survived as long as you did without medical attention." Bruce added softly. "The damage you received, it should have killed you." Bruce added looking away from me.

"Well... this blows." I sighed shaking my head a little. Tony smirked at me.

"This blows?" He asked smirking at me more.

"Yeah, but I'm alive and I kinda want to move onto my second point." I said clearing my throat. I need to just keep moving on, I knew if I thought about it for too long, well I'd break down. I did not want to break down.

"Which is?" Tony asked, the smirk still plastered on his lips.

"Where's Clint?" I asked seriously. The pair paused, they didn't even breath for a beat.

"Natasha told you-" Tony smirked, only this time his smirk didn't quiet reach his eyes.

"A lie." I sighed softly as the pain meds kicked in and I started to feel sleepy.

"She didn't." Tony lied, badly. He glanced to Bruce who was busy reading his chart.

"I know you're all... lying..." I slurred as I closed my eyes and fell back into the darkness. I couldn't even get to my third point, and that upset me slightly as I faded into the darkness. The niggle in the back of my mind telling me everything wasn't ok, I knew I needed to see Clint.

* * *

The next time I woke up I was greeted by Steve talking very softly to Arrow who was sat by his feet. Steve was so engrossed in stroking Arrow that he hadn't noticed I had woken up.

"You know he loves it when you scratch behind his ear." I smirked as Steve jumped, making Arrow jump too. Steve turned to me with a wide grin.

"He also likes the bacon treats I got him." Steve smirked stroking my dog.

"He loves bacon." I laughed a little as I wiggled to sit up. I didn't hurt half as bad as I did, and that made me feel better. "So, what have I missed?" I asked meeting Cap's baby blues.

"What do you mean?!" Steve asked suddenly looking very worried.

"Is Clint back yet?" I asked glossing over his panic but I knew they were all keeping something from me. Steve looked down at Arrow and patted his head again before getting to his feet letting out a heavy sigh.

"I should probably let Bruce and Tony know you're up kid. They'll wanna check on you." Steve said heading to the door without looking at me.

"You know," I said making Steve pause at the door, his back to me. "Just because you wont lie to me, doesn't make it any better." I added as his head dropped and Steve walked out of the room. I let out a heavy sigh, shaking my head as I pushed away tears that forced themselves to the surface. Arrow's head appeared at my hand and he whimpered at me. His big brown eyes looking so sad, that I nearly did cry. "I just wish they'd tell me what's going on..." I admitted to my mutt.

Moments later Tony strolled into the room with Bruce and Steve following on his heels, both of men looked troubled as Tony smirked at me.

"Smurfette, how are you feeling?" Tony asked then spotted Arrow by my side. "Really? _Really?_ Again?" He asked the mutt who grunted to the billionaire.

"What have you got against my dog Stark?" I asked folding my arms over my chest as Tony looked at Arrow like he was going to grow three heads any minute.

"He smells, _a lot,_" Tony started and Arrow let out a small growl. "He eats,_ everything_, his hair is _everywhere_, and my whole tower now smell like _wet dog_."

"Not to mention Arrow gets more attention than Tony when he trots into a room." Bruce added with a smirk stroking my mutts head. Tony switched his glare from the dog to Bruce and back again. "How are you?" Bruce asked, totally ignoring his friends expression. I glance at all three, Bruce was smiling softly at me, Tony glaring at my dog and Steve was set back from everyone, watching the scene play out.

"I..." I paused hoping to catch Cap's eye but he never looked at me. "I'm better, doesn't hurt as much." I admitted as Bruce's eyes darted to charts and machines set up around me.

"Good, means the pain killers worked." Bruce nodded to himself.

"What happened... to S.W.O.R.D?" I asked softly, looking down to my lap.

"Umm, there was an attack on it when you and Clint went missing. A few people died, a lot was hurt pretty bad." Bruce explained sitting on the edge of my bed. I brought my eyes up to him as he gave me a sad smile.

"Did Brand get out?" I asked softly, I felt sick just thinking I was the last one standing.

"She did. The Council thought... you and Clint..." Bruce trailed off as he looked up at Tony for help.

"They thought we busted out together." I stated realising what Barney had said was the truth. Both agencies were at war over me and Clint, not to mention The Avengers had been dis-assembled in the process.

"Yes." Bruce said softly sighing.

"You guys... you're not a team any more huh?" I asked looking at the three men in my room.

"We're a family." Steve said seriously. "We'll always be a family."

"But Fury has broken up The Avengers, right?" I asked looking at Steve.

"The Council did. Brand is blaming Fury for the deaths of two of her own, and the kidnapping of you. Fury is protecting Feathers saying it's someone else behind it all, Nat quit saying she knew Bird Brain was innocent. The evidence points to Feathers, your past makes it look like the pair of you have run into the night. The Council hates it all and has used it as an excuse to break up The Avengers, so I'm funding it instead." Tony explained, smirking by the end of his explanation.

"This is all my fault." I muttered softly looking into my lap again.

"Do you know who did this to you?" Bruce asked softly. I just shook my head, if Clint hadn't explained to everyone then I didn't think it was my place for me to say. I just pushed the guilt and bile that rose in my throat back down, deep down to where I pushed everything that hit me hard.

"Is Clint back yet?" I asked, biting my lip and studying their reactions. My stomach dropped in the heartbeat it took for an answer. I could tell by the way everyone glanced at each other they had chosen to still lie to me.

"He's still with S.H.I.E.L.D, I wouldn't worry, probably just Fury being well Fury." Tony replied with a small smile. I nodded, my eyes landing on Steve again, who looked uncomfortable.

"So where am I with being totally human again?" I asked changing the topic, knowing if I pushed Tony would just lie again, making Steve storm off.

"Well," Tony said glancing at his watch. "The serum should all be gone, roughly..." Tony drew out his sentence as he looked down at his watch. "Now!" He nodded, looking up at me. "Welcome back to being just human!" He smirked.

"Already?" I asked a little surprised. I didn't feel any different. My stomach hurt, I had bruises and cuts on my body. But I didn't feel any different. A part of me had thought that I was going to burst into Tesseract energy and it would rip me apart from the inside out. I was so glad that didn't happen.

"Fraid so Smurfette." Tony nodded to me.

"But we're going to monitor the tesseract energy, see if it does anything else to you." Bruce added looking up from his chart. Arrow trotted past the two men over to Steve and sat by his feet.

"He seems to like you." I said with a small smile as Steve looked over to me. The guilt in his big blue eyes was eating at him by the second. I lost my smile as I furrowed my eyebrows at him.

"Steve, are you alright?" Bruce asked as he followed my gaze to the Super Solider.

"No, Doc, no I'm not." Steve said quickly before storming out of the room, Arrow quick on his heels.

* * *

As Steve's heavy footed steps echoed along the almost silent halls, I felt my chest tighten. Suddenly I was starting to find it harder to breathe as my mind wandered back to the warehouse, back to the fear of knowing Barney was heading towards us. Ready to take another chunk out of one, or both of us. Suddenly it was very hard to breath as the fear gripped me. I had never felt a fear like it before as I held my chest, praying for my lungs to take in all the air in the room, just so that I could breath.

"He probably needed a moment, I think it's Capsicals time of the month." Tony joked as the air seemed to thin around me, I started to gasp as I felt the shot of pain in my stomach.

"Flynn?" Bruce asked the panic clear in his voice as the memory of being back in the warehouse pulled me from the room. _I could hear Barney's footsteps as he came closer, the way he would occasionally forget to pick his foot all the way up and it would scrape across the floor._ I shook my head as my lungs burnt from the lack of oxygen and my throat burned with a trapped scream. I clamped my eyes shut as the fire in my stomach burnt more, making me muffle a scream._ I held my stomach as I heard Barney walk into the room._

"Open your eyes." Tony said, but my mind twisted it, distorted it, soon it was Barney demanding that I open my eyes. I shook my head violently as I held my stomach.

"You need to open your eyes." Bruce said softly, his hand resting on my shoulder, only serving to make me jump and cower away. I shook my head again, hissing out the pain.

"No." I said as firmly as I could. My heart was racing and my throat was burning, the air just wasn't reaching my lungs. My brain couldn't understand what was happening, how I was slipping back _there._

"Open your eyes." Tony said again but my mind twisted it, it brought me back to the warehouse. _I was back there with Barney. I could feel his heavy breath on my skin, the warmth of his body as he was so damn close to me. The smell of cheap cologne and whiskey that seemed to fallow his around._

"_Open your eyes!" Barney snapped as he punched me in the stomach. I bit my lip hard to stop the scream that wanted to escape my lips. I could hear Clint yelling at Barney to leave me alone. Only Barney laughed, loud and rich, I could just feel the smugness that appear on his face. "You're telling me what to do Clinton? Now that is rich!" Barney laughed again as I felt his hand on my arm._

"Open your eyes." Tony's voice broke through the hell but only for a fleeting moment.

"_I said open them pretty little eyes!"Barney barked at me. His breath rolling onto my skin making my heart double time realising just how close he was to me._

"Go to hell!" I snapped out as I tried to wiggle away, I could feel someone was near me, I knew I had to get away. _I tried but I couldn't move any further away. The panic tripled in that moment knowing how close Barney was to me. _

"What's happening?" Tony asked aloud, his voice gurgled in the panic that gripped my body, my mind.

"She's having a panic attack, I think." Bruce explained as his voice quickly faded away. _Barney moved so he was holding onto my shoulders. His grip so tight that I was sure he could break both my collar bones if he wanted to._

"_Open your damn eyes bitch!" Barney yelled, making me jump slightly. _I shook my head violently from side to side as I tried to back away. _"Fine! We'll do this the hard way!"_ _Barney snarled as I heard Clint cry out again for him to stop. Suddenly Barney was punching my stomach, jab after jab as he yelled for me to open my eyes._

"JARVIS! Tell Steve to get back down here with that damn mutt NOW!" Tony's yelled burst through the pain I felt but only for a second, I didn't have time to register what his words even meant.

"Open your eyes." Bruce pleaded, but my mind twisted it to Barney demanding it.

"Leave me alone Barton! Just Stop! I wont open my eyes! Stop!" I cried out in a gurgled scream as I felt something change in me.

"Did she just say Barton?" Tony asked clearly shocked as I felt a power run through me, a power I didn't have back in the warehouse. "Oh shit!" Tony cried out.

"Where's Steve?!" Bruce added as the familiar fire burnt through my veins and down into my hands. _Barney was laughing at me, enjoying in the sickest way the pain he was inflicting on me. He was loving the way Clint would scream for his big brother to stop, the way I coward without even meaning to. Barney was loving it all and there was no way he was going to stop any time soon. I felt myself crumble with the fear that I was going to die, tied to a wall, with the love of my life watching. It was hopeless._

* * *

A wet nose.

A wet nose, nudging me, a pining noise and a wet nose.

It took a second for my mind to process the sensation on arm.

"Arrow?" I croaked out as the fear dropped, the world around me shifted back to the room, to the light, bright room. I blinked a few times, realising where I was. The mutt licked my arm, wagging his tail as I looked down at him. I blinked and felt my arms being held down by my side, I looked and sure enough Bruce and Tony were holding me down. Steve was at the end of the bed looking terrified. As I took a sudden breath, the air burnt my throat and my lungs making me cough. I was gulping in as much air as I could, trying to get my heart under control as I realised I was safe now.

"Here." Steve said moving in a blink to pass me some water. The guys let go of my arms as I took a small sip of the ice cold water, it stung my throat as it went down. I couldn't look at any of them, I looked down, my hand resting on Arrow.

"I..." I didn't even know what to say. I couldn't even explain what happened to me if I tried. It just didn't make any sense. I was in the room, the next moment I was in the warehouse. I was back in that hell.

"How are you feeling?" Bruce asked so softly. I still couldn't look up to meet their gazes I felt. I shrugged a little, I felt so confused and ashamed.

"My stomach is killing me." I admitted softly. I heard Bruce move to the machines and tap a few buttons.

"Hey, Smurfette, where were you?" Tony asked so damn softly,putting his hand over mine. I jumped slightly and shook my head as I forced myself to look up at him. I gulped softly as I felt tears form in my eyes. They stung, but no where near as bad as the ache in my stomach.

"Back _there._" I stated as it explained it all. Tony's face went pale as if he understood exactly what I meant.

"You said-" Tony started to pry when Bruce cut him off.

"Now is not the time." Bruce said firmly. I looked back down at my lap as I stroked Arrow.

"Are you going to be ok?" Steve spoke up his voice full of so much warmth and caring.

"I..." I suddenly felt very tired and yawned a little. "I think..."

"You should rest, give into the sleep Flynn, it'll help." Bruce explained rubbing small circles on my shoulder as my eyes got heavy and I fell back asleep.

* * *

Days went by, most of the time with me falling asleep mid sentence. Bruce had jacked up the pain medication and each day I was feeling better. Steve and Arrow had spent the most time with me, watching crappy TV shows or just chatting to me. He never asked me about my little attack and I was glad. Pepper would come in on a night and catch me up with the latest gossip. Bruce and Tony would come and check on me, the latter constantly trying to make new jokes about how I looked like a pin cushion or purple grape. More than one time I had thrown my pillow at him. Neither of them asked me about the attack, they just let me rest up. Thor would sit with me, and with Arrow telling me about the walks they had shared and the adventures they had in park. I had even woke a few times to find Natasha sat there watching over me. I wont lie, that did kind disturb me, but I figured she was just keeping an eye on me for Clint. But not once had I seen him. When I asked, everyone had stuck with the lie he was back with S.H.I.E.L.D, but something just didn't feel right. No one would tell me anything more about the dissembling of The Avengers or the trouble between S.H.I.E.L.D and S.W.O.R.D.

I woke up in the night, groggy and blinked around. My heart raced for a few minutes while my brain caught up with me. I was always waking up with a start, the fear that one time I was going to wake up back in that room, chained to the wall. As my vision cleared I looked around the room, Arrow was curled up, fast asleep in the corner of my room in his basket. I had convinced Tony with the aid of Thor and Steve that it was better for Arrow to stay with me in the room. I was still in a medical room, but I had heard Tony talking of remodelling, to include a room for me and Arrow. The whole place was silent and I let out a small sigh, knowing I was safe and that I could relax. I shuffled in the bed to get comfy to go back to sleep when Natasha walked into the room. She was silent as she walked in, but clearly was surprised to see me awake. Her eyes widened just a fraction, but it was enough to tell I had surprised her.

"Um hi." I said with a small wave as she walked in and took the empty seat next to me.

"Hi." She replied awkwardly.

"So..." I whistled as I looked around the room.

"I was just checking on you." Natasha announced. I nodded as I turned to her.

"Still here." I replied softly.

"I see." She added with the smallest of smirks.

"Where is he?" I asked plainly, my eyes meeting Natasha's green eyes.

"He's-" She started her well replayed lie.

"No he isn't." I stated cutting her off mid-sentence. Natasha did not look impressed at being cut off. She gave me a small glare then softened her look.

"How do you know?" She asked plainly, slightly amused even.

"I just know. I'm not stupid." I replied sighing softly. "I'm worried about him. Is he, I mean he got out right?" I asked her my voice breaking slightly at the question that filled me with so much dread.

"He got out." She affirmed. There was no extra information given, nothing but a simple answer.

"Is he hurt?" I asked confused by the lack of information she was sharing. Then again, I shouldn't have been surprised, Natasha wasn't the sharing type.

"Physically, he's nearly healed..." Natasha let the sentence die off as her eyes flicked from my own, to Arrow sleeping in the corner and back again.

"He told you what happened." I didn't phrase it as a question, I knew how close Hawkeye and Black Widow was, everyone knew how close they were. Natasha sat there for a moment composing an answer. I sat perfectly still and waited, knowing she was weighing up the truth against a lie.

"No." She finally answered, meeting my eyes as I blinked in surprise.

"No?" I asked, unsure if I had imagined it.

"He hasn't told me yet." She replied with a short nod, sure within herself that Clint will tell her someday, maybe even soon.

"Why not?" I asked utterly confused. I knew Clint had shared everything with Natasha, they were so close that I knew it ate at him if he didn't.

"I honestly don't know." Natasha admitted looking me in the eyes. Although her face was poker perfect, I could see the worry flash across her green eyes.

"Where is he?" I asked softly the worry plastered all over my face. Natasha chewed her bottom lip as she thought about her answer, this sign of emotion, threw me. She had never been so open with me before. If you could call biting your lip 'open'.

"Lost." She announced standing from the chair sharply.

"Lost? That's all your giving me, lost?" I asked raising my voice a little. She nodded her red curls bouncing in the air.

"I can't tell you much more than that because I don't know anything else." She admitted looking down at me, the worry more plain to see on her face this time.

"He's missing?" I whispered out, scared that somehow, somewhere Barney was slowly killing him.

"I think I know where he is." Natasha explained, as she started to pace in front of my bed slowly. I wasn't sure if she was more thinking out loud or wanted me to know.

"Think?" I asked as her head snapped to me.

"He's not in the Tower. I think he's gone to Coney Island." Natasha said in a hushed tone, her eyes darting away from me.

"Back to the circus?" I asked confused.

"I think so. I'm leaving tonight to go find him." She said as her eyes met mine again. There was something in them, some determination, some fire, she was going to bring him back.

"I want to help." I said sitting up straight and feeling the tug of the stitches in my stomach. Natasha walked to my side, pushing me back onto the bed firmly.

"Keep the others busy. I don't need them trying to track me and mess this up. I need to bring Clint in." Natasha said, her eyes locked solely on mine as we just paused agreeing silently that we would both do whatever it took to get Clint back.

"Bring him back in one piece, please?" I asked with a small smirk knowing all too well what Natasha could do to him if she wanted to.

"I can't promise anything." She joked, a smirk on her lips. I blinked, and did a double-take at her actually joking with me. I hadn't seen her joke with anyone but Clint before.

"I must be ill." I muttered sharing a small smile with the red headed assassin.

"Must be." She smiled before turning on her heels and heading to the door. When she reached it, she paused, looking over her shoulder back at me. "I'll bring him back." She said firmly as her poker face reappeared and she went down the hall.

* * *

So what did you all think? PLease pop me a review and let me know, it really does make all the difference and it all takes a few seconds to type!


	8. Homecoming

Thank you so much for everyone who has reviewed and/or alerted this story! I really hope you continue to enjoy reading it as much as I am writing it! Did you guys see that the S.H.I.E.L.D tv show will be on soon! I am so excited for some Coulson action! Enjoy the story!

* * *

The next morning, as usual Steve walked in with a tray and breakfast for three. Arrow yawned and trotted over to us, resting by Steve's feet. I sighed running a hand through my hair and I rubbed my eyes. I tried to make myself seem more awake then I was.

"Morning Wonder." Steve smirked as he put the food down. "Brought you eggs, I made them myself." He added as Arrow waited patiently for his. "And here's yours Arrow." Steve added taking the small bowl of dog biscuits and putting them down by his water bowl. Arrow raced over and started to munch on his food, his tail swishing in the air as he scoffed the lot.

"Eggs, thanks Steve." I smirked as I picked up a folk. "So I was thinking of getting out bed today." I added taking a small bite of the eggs. I had to admit, Steve was a brilliant cook. Since returning to the land of the living, Steve had spent his down time between workouts cooking and reading. He said it helped him relax after a stressful day, to my knowledge no one had complained.

"Out of bed?" Steve asked after swallowing his food, looking slightly nervously at me. I just nodded softly with a warm smile on my face.

"I'm bored of sitting here, my legs work I mean I walk to the bathroom now. I just... I need to get out. So where we going?" I asked smirking as Steve looked totally panicked.

"Umm..." He panicked.

"How about visiting the living area?" Tony asked as he appeared at the door. He had a warm smile on his lips and mischief in his eyes.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." Steve smiled, nodding and giving Tony a _thank you_ look at the same time.

"Ok, I guess." I shrugged taking another bite of the eggs. I had hoped to get to somewhere I could look up just how bad things were between S.W.O.R.D and S.H.I.E.L.D, but I just had to buy my time.

"What's brought you down here anyway Tony?" Steve asked as we both ate our breakfasts. Even Arrow turned and watched Tony as he smiled at everyone.

"I was just- I can wonder round my own home can't I?" Tony asked with a nervous laugh. I continued to eat my food as I watched Tony squirm slightly under three sets of eyes on him. It was almost comical watching Tony squirm under attention, but here he was.

"What's happened?" Steve asked sitting up straight in the chair. Tony's eyes darted to mine before looking at Cap, the nervousness was rolling off him.

"We might have lost Natasha." Tony said with a nervous smile and shrug of his shoulders. He tried to make it look and sound innocent, but as soon as I heard his words I understood. After all Natasha had told me she was going after Clint, I expected her to be gone days.

"Lost her? Like _lost,_ lost?" Steve asked nodding his head towards me at the same time. I think he meant in the same way they lost Clint, but I wasn't sure.

"Maybe. I was telling her about-" Tony stopped and turned to me, his face had gone pale again.

"About what?" I asked plainly. I felt a knot form in my stomach as I watched Tony's face grow paler still.

"You." He said softly, his expression softening to a sympathetic sadness.

"Me?" I asked confused looking at the pair of them. Both of them seemed to share the same sympathetic look, the sadness shining in their eyes. I was missing something.

"You screamed for Clint to get away from you when you had a panic attack, even in your sleep we've heard you calling for him to leave you alone." Tony said seriously. I shook my head softly. There was no way I would ever call for Clint to leave me alone.

"No, I haven't." I said knowing all too well who I was shouting at.

"You've been shouting in your sleep." Steve said sadly, his hand resting over mine.

"What have I been shouting?" I asked firmly. I knew it wasn't Clint, it was Barney. I knew it.

"For Clint to-" Tony started to explain.

"Exactly?" I asked folding my arms over my chest.

"For Barton to leave you alone. For him to stay away from you." Steve explained with his big puppy dog blue eyes. It looked like he was repeating it word for word. I paused for a moment, realising that I had to tell them something, explain why I was calling out in my sleep. They were both intelligent men, they must have known I was re-living it all in my dreams. I was just thankful most of the time I couldn't remember the dreams.

"He's told you what happened, right? He must have written a report by now." I asked looking between the two men. I was finding it hard to believe they still didn't know what was happening. _Maybe Natasha's right? Maybe Clint is lost..._

"He's still with Fury." Tony lied again smoothly as Steve gave him a quick squint.

"What happened Flynn?" Steve asked throwing me those puppy dog eyes again. I thought Arrow was bad when you had bacon, he could learn a few things from Steve. I sighed pushing the half eaten plate of eggs away. I found my thumbs tapping on my legs as I took a deep breath.

"How about we do the cliff notes version?" I asked looking up from Steve to Tony. Both just nodded as Steve took my hand giving it a small squeeze. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, suddenly the pit of my stomach dropped a thousand feet. It felt like I was on the edge of a cliff about to jump out into the unknown. It was scary as hell.

"Ok, but you don't have to tell us anything." Steve said softly as if on queue Bruce, Thor and Pepper walked into the room. The trio shared a look before stopping dead.

"What's happening?" Pepper asked Tony softly, his arm wrapping round her waist to pull her closer to him instinctively.

"Um.." Tony was lost for words as he looked at me. In his eyes I could see something. An understanding, as if he knew exactly how hard it would be for me to talk.

"I'm explaining, what, um happened to us..." I said with a sad smile. "What the hell, this way I only have to say once, right?" I asked looking at everyone. No one was smiling, everyone in their own way looked sympathetic. Pepper was squeezing Tony's hand as his arm wrapped around her, Thor was stroking Arrow's head softly, keeping his hands busy, Bruce was playing with the chart in his hands and Steve was sat next to me holding my hand softly. He was reassuring me that everything would be ok.

"You don't need to tell us anything." Pepper said firmly as she came and stood by my side. She also had the look of understanding exactly how hard it was to speak up.

"Yeah, if you don't want to talk. It's ok." Bruce added pushing up his glasses. Thor just looked utterly confused.

"Friends? We have talked of this. You wish Maiden Flynn to tell us the events of what happened. You have all wondered what happened to the pair." Thor boomed looking kinda confused and child like. He earned glared from everyone in the room and I felt bad for him.

"No, it's ok. I mean, clearly you don't know... I just don't know if it's my place." I shrugged softly.

"You're place?" Steve asked confused, his eyebrows knitting together.

"No, it's not." Natasha said appearing at the door. She looked tired, but her voice was stern, strong. I met her gaze and I knew she knew what had happened. Everything. I knew she had found Clint.

"Where were you? I've been trying to find you all morning!" Tony asked glancing at the assassin.

"I went to Coney Island." She replied before turning around and walking out of the room.

* * *

Everyone fallowed Natasha out, clearly wanting more details about her trip to Coney Island. I was left with Arrow curled up at the bottom of the bed. I sighed as I decided to try and get out of bed. I was slow and it ached in my stomach, but I managed to get standing. I wondered over to where a pile of clothes sat, they were my clothes that I had left when I was last in the top. I pulled out a pair of S.H.I.E.L.D jogging bottoms and a loose fitting long sleeved grey top. I changed my clothes, albeit slowly and sighed relaxing into something other than hospital clothes. I brushed my hair into plated pigtails. I lent against the bed as Arrow drank some water.

"Jarvis, you there?" I asked softly as an idea hit me.

"_Of course, is there something you need?_" Jarvis asked softly.

"Yeah. Is Clint back in the building?" I asked watching as Arrow trotted to his basket and routed around for something.

"_He is. However he has locked the door to his room, requesting that only Agent Romanov contact him. I am to tell others he wishes to be alone._" Jarvis explained. I felt my heart race knowing that he was in the building. That he was safe and alive.

"But he's in his room?" I asked arching an eyebrow.

"_Yes." _Jarvis replied plainly.

"Where is everyone else?" I asked curiously.

"_Mr Stark and Doctor Banner are in the lab analysing some of your blood samples, Captain Rodgers, Agent Romanov and Thor are in the fitness room sparing. Miss Potts is out in a meeting._" Jarvis explained and I smirked as a plan formed in my mind.

"Cool, so I need you to let me know if anyone goes walkies, ok Jarvis?" I asked as Arrow trotted over to me with a lead in his mouth.

"_Very well Agent Flynn. Would you also like me to tell the others you are still in your room if they ask?_" Jarvis asked, knowing me so well.

"Please." I smirked as I took the lead from Arrow's mouth. "Good boy." I smirked down at my mutt.

* * *

With Arrow as a kind of guide, we managed to get to the lift. By the time I walked into the thing though, I was sweating, my heart was racing and I had to lean on the wall just to catch my breath. Sure the serum wasn't working any more, but I never thought I was that unhealthy as a human.

"_Agent Flynn, are you ok?_" Jarvis asked as the doors closed.

"Yeah, I'm ok... I think." I smirked leaning on the wall. Arrow walked around in a circle before parking his backside now next to me.

"V_ery well, I shall continue to monitor your condition though. Just in case._" Jarvis added as the lift moved swiftly and smoothly through the floors until we reached the right level. I let out a heavy sigh, pushing myself off the wall and out into the corridor. As we started to walk down the endless corridor Arrow pulled to each room. First we reached Tony's and boy did Arrow have some kind of love hate relationship with the guy. He cocked his leg, glancing at me almost for approval.

"No way. He'll kick us both out." I frowned at my mutt who understood and growled a little at the door instead. We continued to move down and Arrow tugged me over to Steve's room, his tail wagging so damn fast. Clearly he was a fan of the All-American American. I smirked knowing what Arrow saw in Steve, it was why he was my best friend. Steve was the kind of guy who always stuck up for the little guy. He was a great leader, gentle, smarter than you might have thought and generally a good guy. We continued walking and reached Bruce's room which gain the same reaction, as did Natasha's and Thor's. Clearly Arrow had settled into the building surprisingly well. We continued down until I reached the room I was looking for. I was short of breath and a little sweaty. I dropped Arrows lead, pointing to my old room as the door opened on queue.

"You need to stay in there, ok?" I asked softly as the dog just trotted into the room as if he knew I needed to be alone. I took a moment to compose myself and knocked on the door. I got not answer. So I knocked again. Still no answer. I knocked again and Jarvis reminded me Clint wanted to be alone. I just continued to knock, and knock, and you guessed it, knock. My hand was hurting, I must have been knocking for the best part of an hour when finally I heard movement from the other side of the door. I knew my persistence would pay off.

"WHAT?!" Clint snapped, ripping the door open. As soon as he saw me I saw the panic in his eyes, the guilt and confusion all mixed in one. It was clear he hadn't slept well for days, he had a stubble beard and his eyes were dark. He looked exhausted, angry and guilty all rolled into one archer sized person. My heart lurched seeing him so broken, so alone.

"Hi." I said softly, leaning on the door frame. I tried to act cool about everything as I felt my heart race, I had clearly over done it by knocking for so long.

"Blue." He whispered out, closing the small distance between us, his lips crashing with mine as he held my face in his hands. The sweetness, the tender kiss it was enough to knock me for six. I felt my legs go weak as I lent on him. He pulled apart and looked so hurt it crushed me. His grey green hawk like eyes were so dull, so hollow, so unlike the eyes I had come to fall in love with.

"Can I come in?" I asked with a weak smile. Clint nodded, hooking his arm under mine, whistling and holding the door open as Arrow raced into his room from mine. I arched an eyebrow as my mutt jumped on the sofa and curled up. Clearly he was at home here. Clint kicked the door shut with his foot before walking us over to the couch. I was half resting on him, my heart racing for many reasons, but mostly because I was back in his arms.

"Should you even be up?" He asked brushing a few loose strands of hair off my face. Clearly my act of trying to be cool had failed. I knew I was sweating, but meh, I reached Clint.

"Nope." I said popping the p as I looked up into his confused eyes. He was studying me, working through things in his mind as he watched me.

"Then why are you?" Clint frowned at me. The exhaustion was clearly taking toll on his brain, he seemed slower on the uptake.

"I love you." I said as if it explained everything. Clint was taken back for a second before he smiled, that crooked smile.

"I love you too." He replied but quickly frowned at me again. "Robyn... I'm.. I- The warehouse, you should never have been put in that position. You're team-" Clint looked away from me as his eyes darkened. "This is all my fault." He added softly, zoning out.

"He did this. Barney." I said softly as Clint's eyes darted to me. He opened his mouth to speak when I shook my head softly. "Nope. No. He did this. Not you. Not me. He did." I said as firmly as I could, which considering how exhausted I was, it wasn't that firm.

"If I hadn't fallowed you-" Clint started to say, his voice nearly breaking with the guilt.

"So you admit your a stalker?" I smirked cutting him off. Clint gave me a small sad smile.

"You could have died." Clint said seriously, taking my hand and holding it over his chest. I could feel his heart race under my touch. I knew my heart was racing feeling his touch on my skin.

"You could have too." I replied just as seriously. "But you didn't, I didn't. We survived." I added softly, rubbing small circles on his chest.

"I nearly lost you." He admitted, the tears pricking the corners of his eyes. "You... I thought you'd died." He said barely above a whisper. My heart dropped seeing him so broken.

"I will get Arrow to bite you if you don't stop acting like this." I warned as Arrow looked over at the pair of us, his tail speeding up. Clint let out a sob/chuckle before clearing his throat.

"He wouldn't do that." Clint said so sure of himself. For a brief moment he was back to the cocky know it all I had met so long ago now.

"Why not?" I asked pouting slightly.

"He loves me too much." Clint replied as Arrow started to wag his tail faster.

"The mutt loves anyone who will give him some sneaky bacon. Did you fetch him?" I asked as Arrow crawled over to us. Clint stroked his head, it looked the pair knew each over very well.

"Yeah. I brought him here. I didn't want him taking to the pound. As soon as Bruce gave me the all clear I fetched him. I brought him to your room and saw you in the bed... I... bolted." Clint said sadly, he wouldn't even look at me. He gripped my hand tighter too.

"Why?" I asked confused, trying my best to sooth him. There was a long pause, I wasn't sure Clint was going to even answer me.

"I couldn't face loosing someone else. After Coulson, I promised myself that I'd never get anyone else killed because of me.. and there." Clint shook his head. "There you were, lying perfectly still... I thought... I didn't think. I just ran. Like always." His voice broke as he finished his sentence. I watched as a tear rolled down his cheek and fall from his face. My mind flashed back to the warehouse, to Barney breaking him in so many ways. Anger flashed through me, before I shook it away in a blink. I knew now wasn't the time to get angry, now was the time to be with Clint.

"I didn't die, hell I don't want to die! Not for a long arse time." I whined slightly, pouting as I folded my arms over my chest. "I refuse to die." I added sounding like a three year old. I couldn't be all emotional and break down. I knew if I did, hell I'd be in a bigger mess than Clint. It wasn't just Clint who had gone through the mill at the hands of Barney. I wasn't as broken as Clint, but I was still broken. I knew things had changed, I knew the moment I told Clint I loved him things would never be the same. Granted when I said it, I didn't think I had long left... it didn't matter. Things had changed, and I had someone I care for more than anything. I wanted to protect him as badly as he wanted to protect me. Breaking down, now at least, it wouldn't help Clint, it would just fuel his guilt.

"You can't refuse to die." Clint said looking deep into my eyes, the smallest of smirks on his face.

"Says who? If I don't want to die. I'm not going to." I said with a firm nod. "Ain't nothing no one can do about it." I added as the small smirk turned into a smile on Clint's lips.

"You're crazy." He pointed out before lowering his face to mine, kissing my lips so softly.

"You're a stalker." I added with a wider smile as I lent back in and kissed again.

* * *

We laid on Clint's sofa for hours, neither of us talked, we just laid in each others arms. I was so glad to have him back. So happy and excited and loved and terrified. In the pit of my stomach the fear started to grow. The fear that some how, some way Barney would find us again, take us again and tear apart the family I found myself in. But I pushed that feeling down, deep into the pit where most of the emotions lived. Just like the deaths of Dee and James, every failed mission, every time I was beaten up, tortured, my families death; everything sat in that never ending pit.

Resting in Clint's arms I had fallen back asleep, the feeling of being completely safe lulling me away from the pains of the real world.

_I was dizzy. I was so dizzy, that I reached out and held onto the wall as I shook my head. Something was wrong. I knew that much. But the fuzz that had taken residence in my mind, it was clogging everything up, it was making it so hard to think. I shook my head again as I blinked the corridor looked familiar yet not. It was a corridor in Stark Towers, that much I knew, but something in the pit of my stomach, it was telling me it was all wrong. I forced myself to move, I knew somewhere in the back of my mind if I kept moving it would be ok. I was pulled into a room, the training room. Natasha, Thor and Steve were their, the first two squaring off in the ring while Steve looked on, a worried look on his face. None of them acknowledged my presence and a part of me knew they wouldn't; that I was invisible to everyone._

"_Natasha, what happened in Coney Island?" Steve asked as Nat let out a heavy sigh. She swung out at Thor who easily deflected it, making Nat growl a little. She was off her game for so many reasons._

"_It's Barton's story to tell." She growled shaking her head. She was annoyed at her own lack of concentration. I could see how trouble, angry, furious she was at not being there to help her partner, save her partner from the hell._

"_Maiden Romanov, Clint is our friend, we wish just to help him. Is that such a bad thing?" Thor asked as the pair danced around the ring, Nat stalking the bigger man, her eyes locked on his every movement._

"_We all saw what state he was in when they got back to base. I've seen it before, the stress of war, he's suffering. They both are. Whatever happened to them in that warehouse..." Steve let his sentence die away as he ran a hand through his hair._

"_We wish to help." Thor added finishing Steve's sentence. Steve glanced at the big man sharing a small nod._

"_You can't help. Neither of you can." Nat announced as the pair stopped circling and just stood in the ring helplessly. It was clear the sparing match had come to an end._

"_Why not?" Steve asked climbing into the ring._

"_It's personal. He wont let you help. He wont let any of you help." Nat said seriously. The troubled look in her eyes told me she knew just how personal and she knew she was the only one he'd ever ask for help with this._

"_Personal? Revenge?" Steve asked catching on quickly._

"_Yes. Someone hurt the thing Clint values more than anything on Earth. When he's strong enough, Clint's going to make sure the threat never returns." Nat said in the cold calculating way only a master assassin could say._

"_Revenge is a bad idea." Thor boomed shaking his head with a troubled look._

"_Justice is better." Steve added giving Nat a look. "We will help him get justice, but we can't let Clint kill someone." He added firmly. Thor nodded in agreement as the pair looked at Natasha._

"_You wont have a choice in this Cap." Nat said honestly, meeting Steve's baby blues head on._

_Suddenly I was being pulled again. Away from the room, away from the floor. The dizziness returned and I tried in vein to grab the walls to help me. It was like I couldn't hold onto anything as my vision blurred again. The fuzz took over everything in my mind, it took everything I had just to acknowledge that I was still in the Tower. I shook my head violently, blinking away the dizziness as it faded slightly. I blinked a few more times before I realised I was in the lab. Bruce and Tony were stood looking at one of the floating screens. They were studying it in with so much determination. Tony suddenly pointed to a section of the screen making it bigger._

"_Look, the energy signature hasn't changed. The energy is the same as it ever was." Tony mused aloud._

"_Yes but, look, it completely dis-assembled the Super Solider Serum within her body. It removed it, flushing it out of her system." Bruce sighed pinching the bridge of his nose as he sighed._

"_It hasn't affected any other part of her body, it's actively sort out the one thing that gives her an edge over other people. It attacked it and left her a normal human." Tony sighed scratching his head. "If it was a disease or trying to change her, there would be other markers, it would attack other parts of her body..."_

"_So it's not trying to kill her, or change her. What's it doing in her? Why is it suddenly become dormant again?" Bruce asked aloud._

"_Is it going to become active again? What if it's only stage one?" Tony asked as the science bro's looked at each other with a troubled look. "We need to do more tests." Tony said firmly. Bruce went to open his mouth when Jarvis cut him off._

"Sir it appears that Director Fury and Deputy Director Brand have landed on the roof. They wish to take Agents Barton and Flynn, they have brought armed guards with them."_Jarvis announced making my heart jump into my throat._

"_Lock down everything! Don't let them in!" Tony yelled as he and Bruce took off running. "Get the others, tell them what's happening. We'll meet them on the roof!" He added as the pair ran to the elevator. My heart started to race as the fuzz cleared from my mind. They were coming to take us away. It wasn't Barney I had to worry about, it was S.W.O.R.D and S.H.I.E.L.D, they were coming to make us pay for crimes we never committed. I blinked and I was on the roof, stood behind the large group of men with guns, fronted by Brand and Fury._

"_Damn it Stark!" Fury growled kicking the door for good measure._

"_Well I'm sure that'll work." Brand said sarcastically as Fury shot a glare at her._

"_Real helpful Abby." Fury grunted hitting the door again._

"_I try Nick." Abby replied just as sarcastically before sighing. "We need to get in." Brand growled shaking her head and looking back to the men. As her head turned, her eyes fell on me. "Robby?" She asked in shock. Suddenly everyone's heads snapped round to face me. I noticed Marvin and Wei stood closest to her, they looked as shocked as Fury and Brand._

"_Agent Flynn?" Fury asked as he and Abby pushed through the sea of armed men to stand close to me. Even Fury looked shocked as his eye took me in._

"_Leave." I said firmly, my voice almost booming with a power that I felt rushing through me. _

"_I'm sorry, but you need to come with us." Fury stated, standing his ground. His cold expression gave nothing away._

"_Leave." I said again the fear of being ripped away from the one place I felt I belonged fuelled a new level of power in me. It felt like I was the Tesseract energy, we were one, not just something I pulled on from within me. It was a new level of power for me, it was intoxicating and I loved the rush it was giving me._

"_Robby, what's happened to you?" Brand asked softly, she was looking at me like she didn't recognise me._

"_It doesn't matter. Agent Flynn you and Agent Barton need to come with us." Fury snapped his eye hard as his gaze laid on me. _

"_No." I said taking a deep breath the rush feeling my senses and taking over my rational brain._

"_It wasn't a question." Fury almost smirked as his hand glided to his weapon. Everything started to move in slow motion. I watched as Fury, the armed men and Abby went for their guns, their arms rising to take aim at me. I blinked softly and brought my arms up, a wave of blue radiated out from me, hitting everyone and knocking them unconscious within a few seconds. They all crumpled to the floor neutralized. I lowered my arms as the doors unlocked and Tony, Bruce Thor, Steve and Natasha ran out. Their eyes tracked the bodies laying on the floor before reaching me. Bruce, Thor, Tony and Steve all looked completely shocked as their eyes fell on me. Even Natasha had a hint of surprise on her stoic expression._

"_Wonder?" Steve asked taking a step closer when something inside me pulled me backwards with so much force._

* * *

I woke up flying off the sofa and through the air. Arrow was barking loudly as I crashed through one of Clint's windows. I thought I was going to fall to my death when suddenly someone wrapped their hand round my wrist. I looked up and saw Clint holding onto me, his face was pure agent. He saved me on pure instinct. I wrapped my hand round his wrist and tried to get some footing on the outside of the building. He pulled me up back into his room, and we dropped to the floor laying on our backs. We were both panting and sweating as Arrow rushed around us, fussing to make sure we were both ok.

"Ok, so... what was that?" Clint as as he sat up. I wiped the sweat off my forehead as I sat up, bringing my knees up to my chest, hugging them. Before I could answer Steve and Tony burst into Clint's room, their eyes wide as they took in the broken window.

"What happened to my window?" Tony asked as Steve gave me a wary look. It was like he wasn't sure how to take me.

"Flynn was practising her cannon ball." Clint muttered dryly as he got to his feet and held his hand out to help me up. I took it and he wrapped his arm around my waist as I leaned onto him.

"Wonder." Steve said meeting my eyes. I knew I hadn't dreamt what happened as soon as Steve gave me the cold stare. "You should probably come with us." He said firmly with his hand out to me. Clint's eyes darted from me to them.

"What's going on?" He asked pulling me closer to him.

"She just took out a bunch of people on the roof including Fury and Brand." Tony said matter of factly. "Before she went poof in front of our eyes." He added looking at me.

"She's been here the whole time, sleeping." Clint said firmly, shaking his head a little.

"Thor, Bruce and Natasha are on the roof trying to work out what she's done to them." Tony added looking at me. "You were glowing blue. It was the Tesseract energy huh?" He asked me, I looked to the floor shrugging slightly.

"I guess..." I said looking back up and meeting his gaze. "I was dreaming, but it didn't feel right." I added before I buried my head into Clint's chest. He wrapped his other arm around me, rubbing small circles on my back.

"Why are S.H.I.E.L.D and S.W.O.R.D here anyway?" Clint asked ignoring the fact I had just used the power inside me to knock out some of the best the world had to offer.

"For you two, Bonny and Clyde. They must have caught you down at Coney Island and fallowed you back here." Tony sighed running a hand through his hair. "We knew they'd still be looking for you both."

"They still think we were behind everything?" Clint asked as I watched Tony and Steve share a look.

"Any evidence we brought to them, Fury doesn't seem to want to accept. We think it's more the Council than anything." Steve answered honestly, a troubling expression on his face.

"_Tony, we've moved them to the medical area. They are all unconscious. I expect them to start waking up in the next hour. I think Flynn psychically knocked them out._" Bruce's voice came from the roof as everyone looked at me. "_I really think we should take some fresh blood samples from Flynn this is a major leap in her abilities._" He added before falling silent.

"Bruce I'll bring her down. Just make sure if anyone wakes up they don't go walking round." Tony replied looking over at me with apologetic eyes.

"_Natasha and Thor are going to baby sit._" Bruce almost chuckled before the room fell into a silence. I pulled away from the warmth of Clint and stood, rubbing my arms nervously.

"I'm coming with you." Clint said firmly. "We need to talk to Fury and Brand alone. Just the four of us." He added taking my hand in his and giving me a small squeeze.

"I don't think the Director is going to be pleased being held hostage." Steve said plainly.

"Hey, he wanted to come in." Tony joked before he shrugged. "Besides, maybe he'll listen to us this way."

"We should do this carefully." Steve said frowning at all of us.

"We're just going to talk Cap." Clint said frowning back. The pair was staring at each other not in a completely hostile way, but it wasn't friendly either. They were weighing each other up I think.

"We should get Smurfette to the lab, then we can talk about talking to Fury." Tony said clapping his hands and making everyone look at him.

* * *

The needle stung as it entered my skin, I hadn't really been bothered by needles since I had the serum, but now that it was gone. Yeah needles stung a lot. I was more than happy to focus on the pain of the needle than the tension in the labs. Bruce was busy filling the vile focusing on that more than anything else. Thor and Natasha were stood nearest the doors watching monitors, they had separated Fury and Brand from the rest. They were waiting for them all to start to wake up. I know Natasha was more interested in catching glances off her partner as the pair had a silent conversation across the room. Clint was stood with Tony and Steve who were quietly talking about the show of power I exhibited and the potential danger. They were trying to make Clint realise I was a threat until they could figure out how I managed to do what I did. They were also trying to talk him out of talking to Fury and Brand. Both agencies wanted to bring us in, blame us or use us for the war that had started between them. The only reason both agencies were working together is because one didn't trust the other to take us both in alive.

"Here, press this on." Bruce said softly passing me some cotton wool.

"Thanks." I replied just as softly. It was a right royal mess and I was in the middle of it.

"How you holding up?" Bruce asked just loud enough for me to hear. He was messing with the vile, shaking it and putting it into a machine.

"The tesseract energy is messing with me. Letting me do crazy stuff I can't control. My boyfriend is being told to stay away from me for his own good. And oh yeah, I just knocked out Fury and Brand, that'll add to the list of things I've done to piss them off." I sighed running my hand through my hair. "Today, is awesome Doc, I'm grreeaatt." I said sarcastically.

"Boyfriend?" Bruce asked with a smirk, pushing his glasses up as he took the cotton wool off my arm. I smirked to myself, my eyes darting to Clint who glanced at me at the same time. I knew Steve was talking to him, but I smiled and Clint gave me one of his lop sided grins sending my heart racing.

"Well gee doc, what else would you call it?" I replied turning my attention back to Bruce.

"I'm glad you two finally worked it out. He did nothing but mope around after you left." Bruce joked shaking his head a little. "I've never seen a case of love sickness that bad."

"Really?" I asked arching an eyebrow and smiled at Bruce.

"Honest." He said holding his hands up. I sniggered shaking my head as Bruce let out a small chuckle.

"What's funny?" Stark asked as he wondered over to us, clearly he had gotten bored of trying to talk to Clint.

"Bruce." I smiled at the doctor before turning my attention back to Tony. "Think you've convinced Clint to leave me alone yet?" I asked folding my arms over my chest. I said it loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Wonder, it's just..." Steve sighed as he turned to face me. "No one knows what you're power is going to do next. Bruce and Tony thought it was dormant, then you knock out Fury's people. We don't know what's going to happen next. We need to think of the safety of everyone." He said trying to explain it without it sounding like an attack on me. I got up off the stool I was sat on and walked over to the monitors were everyone was asleep still.

"I was just trying to protect us." I said softly as my eyes took in how many people I knocked out. "I was just wanting to keep us safe. I knew they were coming to take us away." I added sighing as I turned to face everyone.

"You were asleep, out cold." Clint spoke up from the other side of the room.

"She did this in her sleep?" Natasha asked a mixture of surprise and respect coming across as she lent in her corner, resting on the side of a computer table, her arms crossed over her chest.

"From what we can tell," Bruce said folding his arms over his chest. "Flynn's powers, the Tesseract energy is flexing. I think it's testing Flynn." Bruce added.

"Yes! Of course! How could I miss that?!" Tony cried out, re-reading the screens around him.

"Testing?" I asked looking over to Bruce.

"How?" Steve asked confused. Bruce pulled up a screen and brought up a chart I don't think anyone but him and Tony understood.

"When we found Flynn, she was out cold. The energy had just entered her system, here." Bruce said point to the start of the chart. "It sat, what we thought dormant for near enough a 3 months." Bruce added softly.

"When in fact is was slowly breaking down the serum in her system, not to mention flaring up with outbursts." Tony added pointing to small peaks in the chart. "Then, here we started to test the energy, see how far Flynn could push it."

"Then the Loki attack, see the massive spike?" Bruce asked everyone as the chart jumped. "Then, back to the dormant stage for months..." Bruce sighed as the chart dipped again.

"The last couple of tests, we've noticed the spikes appearing. At first I thought these were natural anomalies, but looking at them now...It's almost as if the tesseract energy is testing your limits, removing any help you had and seeing just how far you can be pushed." Tony added looking at everyone.

"Why?" Natasha asked reading the chart for herself.

"That we can't answer." Bruce answered honestly.

"Well is there anyway to predict when the next test will happen?" Steve asked frowning slightly. Clint stood next to Steve his eyes glued on the chart as his fingers flexed by his side.

"No." Bruce answered again. "There's no way to control it either. It's next to impossible to control the energy when it was in a cube form, but inside a living person... I wouldn't know where to begin." Bruce added throwing me an apologetic smile.

"So, basically, I'm a walking time bomb? We don't know what I'm going to do next, how and who to, let alone what happens when the tesseract energy pushes too much and I can't cope with it?" I asked summarizing it all up.

"Pretty much Smurfette." Tony announced plainly.

"Friends, Fury and his Maiden have woken." Thor boomed as he looked at a screen.

"Oh yeah, then there's that." Tony added sighing as he looked at the screen.

"Me and Flynn are going to talk to them." Clint announced making everyone look at him.

"Do you really think that's a great idea?" Steve asked from his side.

"They think we started all this. We didn't, we need them to see the truth. Without The Council breathing down their necks." Clint answered firmly, his fingers flexing by his side still.

"You think The Council know the truth and just don't want to hear it?" Bruce asked confused.

"Doc, they know. They wanted us broken apart. They want an excuse to get rid of Fury and Brand and bring in more yes men." Natasha said from the side of me.

"How are you planning on convincing them Feathers?" Tony asked watching as Clint stood in the middle of everyone.

"We need to talk to them alone. That means no cameras, no audio, no watching through the mirrored wall, no Jarvis." Clint said firmly, almost glaring at Tony.

"We can't." Steve answered making Clint snap his head to Cap.

"Why not?" Clint grunted. Steve pointed to me.

"We don't know if Wonder will have another attack, if she's lash out and hurt someone. The Doc says we don't know when it'll happen again." Steve said firmly.

"Steve-" Clint started to argue.

"No, he's right..." I said making everyone turn to me. Clint's expression softened as he looked at me with pleading eyes. "I know Clint." I said softly, before turning to Natasha. "We need someone to watch over us. Natasha, it should be you." Her eyes darted to Clint's where the pair shared yet another silent conversation before she nodded.

"Ok." She said softly.

"But only Nat can hear this, I don't want anyone else to hear." Clint said turning back to Tony. He sighed loudly before nodding.

"Jarvis I want the audio and visual from the room kept solely in here only for Natasha to hear, ok?" Tony sighed looking at Clint for approval.

"_As you wish sir._" Jarvis replied as Clint nodded.

"Best not keep Fury waiting." Clint muttered as he walked over to me, taking my hand and leading me out of the room.

* * *

We stood outside the door as the others piled from the other room, Steve glanced my way and I gave him a small smile, he returned it as the four of them piled into the lift. Clint sighed leaning on the door.

"This better work." He muttered more to himself than to me.

"We'll make it work." I said standing directly in front of him. Clint gave me a sad smile, brushing some hair off my face.

"Even if we do... what do we do about you?" He asked, rubbing my cheek. I placed my hand over his and gave him a warm smile.

"One thing at a time, huh?" I asked moving closer to him and pressing my lips against his. Clint pulled me closer wrapping his hand round my waist holding me in his arms as he kissed back.

"One thing at a time." He mumbled resting his forehead on my own. We walked into the room hand in hand. Fury and Abby were sat on a cot talking softly as soon as the door opened, their eyes darted to me and Clint. I saw the momentarily shock pass through Abby's eyes as she saw me again.

"Sir." Clint started to say when Fury got to his feet, quickly fallowed by Abby.

"Just what the hell do you think you are doing?!" Fury snapped at us both. "Kidnapping the heads of S.H.I.E.L.D and S.W.O.R.D wont do you any favours!"

"Sir we we're trying to kidnap you." Clint said firmly taking a step closer to Fury.

"She knocked us out!" Fury snapped pointing to me.

"I'm sorry." I said softly not really knowing what else to say.

"Sorry?" Fury scoffed. "Sorry you used a power none of us knew you had on us! You knocked us out cold Agent Flynn! You should be arrested for that alone! Let alone aiding Agent Barton escape!" Fury roared, glaring at the pair of us. In that moment I knew why many a man and woman feared Fury, he could be terrifying when he wanted to be.

"We didn't escape!" Clint snapped in Fury's face. Fury snapped his attention back to Clint, clearly surprised by his outburst. The pair glared at each other as the tension doubled in the room. I felt something stir within me as I tried to ignore it.

"You killed two of my men, Agent Barton." Abby spoke up walking up to the side of Fury.

"No ma'am I did not." Clint said firmly shaking his head.

"You told me yourself Robby, Barton was behind this." Abby said looking at me as did the other two.

"I... I wasn't wrong Barton did. It just... it wasn't..." I looked back over at Clint and saw the guilt rise within him again.

"Sir it was Barney." Clint said looking down to the ground.

"You're brother?!" Fury snapped sounding angry and surprised at the same time. "I thought you killed him?!" He added frustrated. My head snapped to Clint. Clearly I hadn't been told everything, I had thought it was all about revenge, but clearly it was something more.

"He's my brother sir!" Clint snapped looking back at Fury.

"Who is Barney Barton?" Abby asked looking to Fury for answers.

"Barney Chisholm." Fury stated and I noticed both Abby and Clint tense up.

"Chisholm?!" Abby cried out, looking at Clint in shock. "You're brother?!"

"Yes Ma'am." Clint said plainly.

"He, he! He killed-! Fury you owe me answers on how that bastard still walking!" Abby growled shaking her head as she started to pace. Fury looked over to Clint who sighed before answering for Fury.

"I arranged for a S.H.I.E.L.D team to take him to prison, I couldn't kill my brother." Clint said firmly shaking his head.

"He leaked information! He is the reason-" Abby stopped short and turned to me, then looked at Clint. "Do you realise which mission your brother sold information on?" She asked calmly. I knew to fear Abby when she dropped to a calm voice. It was then that she was ready to rip someone into a million pieces.

"No ma'am." Clint replied plainly. Abby looked at me and I felt my stomach drop.

"You're mission in Africa. The Tuck mission." Abby announced as I felt sick. I felt like I was about to loose my lunch. I stumbled back as if someone had hit me in the stomach; Clint reached out to help me stay on my feet. "Barney Chisholm sold vital information to Tuck, alerting him to our mission in Africa. That lead to the capture of you, along with the deaths of many agents." Abby's words bounced around in my head as I tried to say vertical.

"I never knew..." Clint whispered as he tried to help me. I slapped his hands away stumbling back into the wall. I didn't want him to touch me, in that moment I didn't want to be anywhere near him.

"He knew. He must have known..." I said shaking my head as the world span. I clamped my eyes shut tight as Fury pipped up.

"All this, the killing of S.W.O.R.D agents, the attack on their headquarters, framing you, you're telling me this is all down to your brother?" Fury growled as I felt the world spin more my body was loosing a battle to keep centred.

"Yes sir." Clint replied softly from the side of me. I could feel his presence near me, but I wasn't sure he could tell how badly I felt like I was falling off the cliff.

"He came after you this time?" Fury demanded to know. His voice was rough and angry, an accusation seemed to lie under every word he said.

"He came after me through Agent Flynn." Clint confirmed as he put his hand on my shoulder. The touch it sparked something within me. A flash of _something_ ran through me.

"He's managed to hack into our headquarters, he knows so much..." Abby said in shock as she realised just how bad things were going to get. "None of my agents are safe. We have to lock down S.W.O.R.D until we can see how far this goes..." I opened my eyes and everything was blurry, I blinked a few times rubbing my eyes when I felt the familiar tingle in my stomach. My Tesseract energy was building within me and I knew I had to get away.

"He was after me. He wanted to me to pay." Clint said taking his hand off my shoulder and walking up to Fury and Abby.

"He might want you to pay, but your bother wont be working alone! He's going to be making money off this, just like before!" Abby snapped at Clint as I made my way to the door, sliding across the wall so that I didn't fall over.

"You know how dangerous your brother is Barton! I can not believe you let him live!" Fury yelled as I made my way out of the room. They were all so busy arguing that none of them had time to notice me leave. As I got out the room Natasha came out of the other room and walked over to me.

"Flynn?" She asked as I slumped down the wall, I knew I was burning up, I could feel it. She bobbed down to my level and reached out to touch me.

"Don't." I snapped shaking my head. "I... I can't control it." I said panting.

"Any idea what your about to do?" She asked pulling her hand back.

"Nope." I replied honestly. "Did you know about Chisholm?" I asked trying to focus on anything but the power building within me.

"A little. I was on another mission when Clint went after him. Clint believed it was someone else, when he discovered it was his brother, he couldn't kill him. So he brought him in."

"What do... what do we do now he's back?" I asked panting as I rubbed the palms of my hands into my eyes as I tried to escape the hell my body was going through.

"You need to stay with me here." Natasha said and touched my knee.

That was it.

A touch.

A jolt of pain as a lifetime of Blood. Anger. Death. Fire. Ballet. Lust. Deceiving. Confusion. Hope. Murder. Red. Heartache. The Red Room. Pain. Games. Torture. Pleasure. Revenge. Ledgers. Family. Clint. Budapest and Snow flashed through my mind.

Then darkness.

* * *

Ok, so what do you think? Flynn's powers are going crazy! Do you like it, or am I drawing it out? I have like three more stories planned for her and Clint. So yeah who knows what will happen. I do promise eventually they get a break... Anyway, review and let me know!


	9. Let's Add A Little Spice (Pepper)

Sorry it's taken me so long to update, I've been feeling pretty rough at the moment

* * *

"_Mother of God get the fuck away from me! Touch me again and I will rip you limb from limb you bastard!_" I screamed out in Russian as I sat up, nearly head butting Steve in the process.

"Whoa!" Steve cried out jumping back in surprise. At the side of me I heard a groan fallowed by some more Russian.

"_Relax it only hurts for a moment._" Natasha's voice came from the side of me before she sat up and rubbed her eyes, snapping out of the same memory I seemed to find myself waking from. Her face went pale as she turned to me and I met her green eyes.

"_I'm so sorry... I don't... I can't..._" I stumbled over my Russian words as Bruce appeared with a bag. She just sat there a blank expression on her face as she rubbed her head.

"Ladies, just stay there for a moment please." Bruce asked as he reached into his bag.

"What happened?" Natasha asked looking away from me to Bruce. She rubbed her eyes again as she sighed.

"Jarvis detected a rise in the tesseract energy within Flynn, by the time I got here, you were both out cold." Steve explained as he hoovered over Bruce's shoulder. The worry plastered all over his face.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Bruce asked Natasha as he checked her out.

"We were talking... I touched Flynn's knee." Natasha said softly as Bruce checked her pupils.

"I... saw everything." I admitted pulling my knee's up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them. I knew everything that had ever happened to Natasha, her whole life, just like when I touched Loki's mind. The memories swirled in my brain searching for a place to settle.

"Everything?" Steve asked confused as Bruce moved onto me.

"My memories?" Natasha asked as Steve helped her up. I noticed her hold her breath as she waited for an answer.

"Yes." I said as Bruce took some more of my blood. I shared a look with Natasha, something within me told me she understood. She knew I knew her as well as she knew herself now.

"Like with Loki?" Bruce asked softly, a trouble look on his face as he tried to understand it all.

"No. Nothing like that." I said shaking my head. "In the room, I felt ill, so I tried to get out before I could hurt anyone. I didn't want anyone to touch me. I didn't want to see them... Just as soon as she touched me... they hit me." I admitted as Bruce helped me onto my feet. We all fell into a silence as I tried my best not to look at anyone but the floor. I could feel all three pair of eyes dart from me to the others. I knew they were sharing a look between them.

"How are you feeling now?" Bruce asked as he put his things into his bag breaking the silence. I paused for a moment and thought about it.

"Fine. Actually, really good, better than I have been for a while." I admitted softly, brushing my hair off my face. A small part of me felt guilty for feeling so much better, but it was surpassed by the fact it was the first time since returning to The Tower that I actually felt normal again.

"And you Natasha?" Bruce asked looking at the red head.

"I'm fine." She said with a quick nod. Her eyes darted to mine as she studied me, assessing me with that stare I had seen both her and Clint use before.

"I want both of you to come with me to the lab. I need to run a few more tests." Bruce announced.

"What about them?" I asked throwing my thumb over my shoulder to the room where loud muffled voices could still be heard. I knew the fighting was getting worse, I just wanted it to stop.

"I'll go explain what happened." Steve said taking a deep breath. I gave Steve a worried look, I knew how badly Clint wanted to keep it all to himself. "Trust me, it'll be ok Wonder." Steve said rubbing my shoulder.

"I hope so." I muttered as Bruce led us back to the labs.

* * *

It felt like I spent most of my time in the labs. If I wasn't having blood tests, they were running other tests on me. It was a never-ending round of needles, scans and prodding. It felt like they were never going to get answers. Bruce has just set up a scan on Natasha when Clint rushed into the room, swiftly fallowed by Fury, Abby and Steve.

"You two ok?" Clint asked rushing to my side and grabbing my hand.

"_She read my mind. Everything._" Natasha said in Russian before closing her eyes and relaxing as the machines scanned her. Clint looked down at me and frowned, a mixture of worry and confusion plastered on his perfect face.

"It's getting worse. I can't control it." I admitted as Bruce hit a few keys.

"Doc what is happening to my agent?" Abby asked walking over to Bruce. She was in her 'answer me now or pay the price' mood. Her tone was demanding and harsh, Abby hated not having the full story.

"I wish I knew, at the moment we can only track the symptoms, we have no way to make sense of them." Bruce answered honestly as he hit a few more keys.

"Doctor Banner, I need you to send all your findings to S.H.I.E.L.D." Fury stated as Thor and Tony walked back into the labs. "Mr Stark, please set up a direct link to S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters, Deputy Brand needs to shut down S.W.O.R.D." Fury barked at Tony as soon as he walked in.

"Shut it down?" Tony asked confused as we all looked up at Abby. I felt my heart jump into my throat at the idea of S.W.O.R.D shutting down, I couldn't help but feel slightly to blame.

"We've been compromised thanks to Barton." Abby said bitterly as she glanced at Clint. "I need you to run everything you can on the men we brought with us. I need to know who I can trust in there." Abby added firmly scowling at anything and everything.

"And why I am helping either of you?" Tony asked folding his arms over his chest.

"Stark." Fury growled. Clearly neither Director were in the mood to be messed about with.

"No I want to know. I mean you both blame my friends for an attack that clearly neither of them started. You haven't even acknowledge the torture, the pain they went through at the hands of God Knows Who! You broke up The Avengers, my family, claiming it was because of Feathers. I'm not on the S.H.I.E.L.D pay role, so really why should I listen to either of you?" Tony asked folding his arms over his chest. Fury and Abby looked at everyone. Thor and Steve stood by Tony, both with their arms over their chests, Natasha was giving the pair a glare, Bruce stood perfectly still waiting for an answer, as did me and Clint.

"We know who is behind all this now. We need to contain as much of the damage as possible and find him. We need The Avengers to do this. I promise Barton and Flynn wont be held responsible for any of this." Fury sighed rubbing his head. Clearly it had been a long day for Fury, he crumbled to the pressure of the room in a heartbeat.

"I'll see if any of my people can help with Flynn's condition." Abby asked looking at me. She gave me a small smile and I returned it knowing full well that Abby would do everything in her power to make sure I would be ok again. After all we were the only two left standing and neither of us wanted to win that game.

"What about The Council?" Steve asked plainly drawing my attention away from my thoughts.

"I'll deal with them. Will you help us find the man behind all this?" Fury asked sighing loudly, frustration laced his words.

"Okay then! Deputy Brand, this way. Jarvis run the people in the second medical room-" Tony said walking off, Abby quickly on his heels. This left Fury with the rest of us looking at him. Seconds later, Tony's head popped back in the room. "Who are we looking for?"

* * *

It had been about two hours since Fury had informed the rest of the team that they were in fact looking for Clint's big brother Barney. In that time Abby had closed down S.W.O.R.D until further notice, the agency was on lock down. Jarvis was searching for Barney, checking every member of S.W.O.R.D for any connection to him and monitoring my condition. Everyone had split up to work on their own things. Bruce was in the lab analysing the samples, searching for anything he missed. Tony, Steve and Natasha were working through the information Jarvis was supplying. Fury and Abby had left to return to S.H.I.E.L.D to continue the operation from their end. Thor was guarding the men who now had woken up and Clint had disappeared.

"His own brother, huh?" Tony muttered as we sat around the living area going over files.

"Shut it Stark." Natasha warned, not looking up from her file. Since we had gotten the all clear from Bruce, Natasha hadn't said much to anyone, she drove straight into the work.

"I just, brother? I thought the guy was an orphan. Now a brother. An evil secret selling brother. Huh." Tony muttered again as he read.

"This says he brought his brother in the first time he was sent after him." Steve said reading form a file. "He was ordered to kill him." Steve frowned.

"Kill your own brother?" Tony asked surprised as he looked from Steve to Natasha. "S.H.I.E.L.D can be a real bastard at times."

"You haven't seen the worst of it." Natasha muttered as I sat curled in the corner listening. I kept getting little snippets of Natasha's life and it was throwing me. Some of it just was so out of place it made no sense.

"_A red ledger is a gift Natalia. A gift of a true assassin. Do your country proud._" I muttered without realising the words coming out of my mouth. I had been muttering Russian for the best part of an hour as Natasha's memories settled into my mind.

"_Flynn, your doing it again._" Natasha replied in Russian without looking up from her work. Her tone was even but I knew by the way she tightened her grip on the folder she was reading whatever memory I was replaying really hit a nerve.

"Sorry." I said getting up. The first couple of times Steve and Tony wanted to know what I had said, now they were too busy to ask. "I'm going for a walk." I knew I was useless, my brain was a mess of memories, I couldn't focus on work.

"_Stay safe Little Bird._" Natasha said quickly, then snapped her head up, shocked by the words that came out of her mouth. I stood perfectly still, my hand gripping the back of the chair so tight my knuckles were white.

"What did you just say?" I asked deadly serious. It pulled Steve and Tony from their work, their eyes going back and forth between the pair of us like a tennis match.

"I... it just came out." Natasha said getting to her feet. "I think I should go see Bruce." She added quickly before rushing down to the labs leaving the guys to turn to me for an explanation.

"What was that?" Steve asked confused, neither of them understood Russian, they just knew it was something serious.

"I'm not sure..." I said walking out of the room as my heart rate doubled.

* * *

I found my way to the roof, the cold air wrapped around as I scanned looking for any sign of life. I was alone. I let out a heavy shaky sigh as the tears stung my eyes. I thought I was ok. I thought I was strong enough to cope with it all. _I can beat the night, I'm not afraid of thunder, I am full of light, I am full of wonder. I'm not going to fall under..._ The mantra I had chanted a million times before bounced around my head in a bitter way. I had lost so much and it felt like I was going to loose much more before this was all over. The tears rolled down my cheeks as I silently sobbed to myself._My body has been broken. I can hardly keep myself around the others. What if I hurt them? What if I do more than just see into their minds? Why couldn't I hurt Barney? That would have been for the best, right? I can't go out there, I can't find Barney, I can't make him pay. I might kill him. Not that I'm entirely against that... But Clint. I can't hurt Clint._ I wiped the tears away and let out another heavy sigh.

"I can't beat the night, I'm afraid of thunder, I'm full of darkness, I am not full of wonder, I'm going to fall under..." I muttered leaning on the railing as the tear fell down my cheeks. Hearing Natasha utter Dimitri's words, the name he and _only_ he called me, it hit me like a ton of bricks. The words brought back so many thoughts, emotions, I was still grieving him and James. In all the crazy, I hadn't even had chance to acknowledge they really had gone. I shook as the tears fell. _There has to be a headstone somewhere right? I mean even if they weren't buried, there must be something, somewhere marking their life. I need to go there when this all blows over... I need to say I'm sorry. Sorry I wasn't fast enough. Sorry I wasn't smart enough. Sorry I got the wrong guy. Sorry I never had a chance to make Barney pay. Sorry it took so long to see them. Sorry..._ I felt a change in the breeze and caught the slightest hint of sawdust. I wiped the tears off my face and turned to see Clint closing the door softly. As soon as he saw me he reached out, arms open.

"Flynn, why are you crying?" He asked as I rushed into his arms. He wrapped himself around me as I buried my head into his chest.

"I... just needed to cry." I mumbled into his chest. "Where did you go?" I asked as I let his warmth wrap around me.

"Shooting range. I needed to let of some steam before I faced the others. They know everything now, and I know Stark at least will have questions." Clint sighed as he rested his chin on my head.

"He's too scared of Natasha to say anything." I admitted making Clint chuckle a little. As he chuckled I pulled back and gave him a small smile. He brushed the last of the tears off my face and gave me a soft kiss on the lips.

"How are you coping with Nat's memories floating up there?" Clint asked kissing my forehead.

"_I slip into Russian and spout things about ledgers, training, Mother Russian._" I cleared my throat shaking my head a little as I realised I was speaking Russian again. "Yeah, it's taking a little getting used to." I admitted softly.

"She's got a few of your memories too." Clint sighed looking into my eyes.

"I figured... Is she ok?" I asked softly as watched Clint's hawk like gaze study every feature on my face.

"Yeah, she just feels like she's intruding, they seem to all be about Dimitri." Clint's eyes clouded over as I looked away stepping out of his embrace. The cold air instantly replaced his warmth as I wrapped my arms around me.

"He... he and I..." A lump of guilt clogged my throat as I fought for the right words. I was looking out into the city, I couldn't explain myself. I shook my head as one of Natasha's memories popped into my mind. "Remember Beijing?" I asked as I saw the flash of shock pass through Clint's eyes. "The way you looked at Natasha in that mission?" I asked again as Clint's eyes darted away from me.

"Yeah." Clint nodded slowly.

"Remember how the lines blurred and you weren't just agents any more?" I asked softly as I tried to explain myself.

"It was a long time ago Flynn." Clint said clearing his throat.

"So was me and Dee." I admitted. "But he still loves, loved me." I said correcting myself before I shook my head again. "We should probably just get back, help out where we can. We need to find Barney before things get worse." I said walking back over to Clint and taking his hand in mine.

"I promise he wont hurt you again. Ever." Clint said kissing my hand.

"I know." I replied honestly looking into the grey green orbs and knowing Clint meant every word he said to me.

* * *

We walked into the living area hand in hand, I gave Clint a little squeeze as everyone was sat there reading. I knew how hard it was for Clint and I wanted to support him anyway I could.

"So um how's it going?" Clint asked walking over to Stark and Steve. Bruce was sat on the sofa with Natasha reading notes. Arrow was curled up by the window, even he seemed to pick up on how tense the whole building felt.

"Well your brother is a nut job!" Tony announced looking up from his tablet.

"Stark." Steve scowled as Clint just nodded, his eyes darting everywhere but at any one person. He was nervous, I could see his fingers flex by his side.

"He is!" Tony whined as everyone moved to stand round the table Steve and Tony were sat at. Files, tablets with imagines and charts were scattered across the table.

"We know that your brother isn't working alone. No way he could afford everything he needed to take apart S.W.O.R.D like this." Steve explained after glaring at Tony.

"He's probably being funded by some crime boss, that much is clear. We just can't find out who." Nat added standing shoulder to shoulder with her partner.

"That parts not important right now, the crime boss probably just has something against S.H.I.E.L.D or S.W.O.R.D, what is important is that he was after you." Tony said pointing to Clint. Clint's head snapped up and met Tony's for a second before he scanned the room. "Feather's why was he after you so bad?" Tony asked as once again Clint's eyes darted to Tony. There was a fire behind his eyes this time, so much so that it made Tony mutter something and look away.

"Clint we need to know." Steve said softly throwing him the puppy dog eyes. Clint squeezed my hand before sitting down at the table. He put his head in his hands and rested his elbows on the table. Bruce, me and Nat sat down round the table and waited for him to speak. I just wanted to reach out and hold him in my arms, but I knew I couldn't we needed him to talk.

"We knew he had sold out a S.W.O.R.D mission in Africa." Clint started looking down at the table and I tensed up slightly. The memory of that mission haunting me. "I was told to kill him, that he was too dangerous to be kept alive. I thought I was going after the man who taught me to shoot, the man I used to look up to." He let out a bitter laugh and glanced at everyone at the table before putting his head down again. "In a way I was." He scoffed. "I caught up with him on the West Coast. He was exactly how I remembered him, my big brother. When I realised, I contacted Fury, begged him not to issue the kill order. He ordered me to kill him. He was my brother, I... I couldn't kill him. He kept me safe, alive for so many years, he looked after me when I could have been lost in the system. He's my only blood left! I just... I couldn't kill him, no way. I made a different call, again. I called in for back-up, I arranged for a prison cell for him in the middle of no where. I went after him, we got into a fight. He begged me not to take him, begged me to let him go. I was torn. I knew the back-up was on the way. I warned him, told him to run. I couldn't even bring him in myself." Clint looked up and seemed to zone out. "I couldn't even take my own brother in. I let the back-up do it. Half of me wished he got away. He didn't and they didn't take kindly to having someone like him in custody. I learnt they beat him, daily for weeks for the missing agent from Africa and the others who died trying to save her." Clint finished and looked over his shoulder to me. I met his stormy grey eyes and gave him a small nod letting him know I was ok.

"So he came after you because he got him locked up?" Tony asked simplifying it.

"Revenge." Natasha spoke up. "He came for revenge."

"So what? He found an investor willing to pay to take down S.W.O.R.D in return he got to take you out?" Steve asked processing the story Clint gave us.

"I guess." Clint muttered shrugging his shoulder softly, he wasn't making eye contact with anyone again.

"Why not just kill you?" Bruce asked softly.

"He wanted me to pay." Clint said just above a whisper. "Wanted to take away everything I loved." He added so softly I wasn't sure anyone but me and Natasha heard.

"That's why he took Wonder." Steve said turning to me. I looked down and let out a heavy sigh.

"How did he know?" Bruce asked confused. "I mean, you two hadn't seen each other in years..."

"That's not true Doc." Clint said as a small smile crossed his lips. "I was stalking Flynn." He added giving me the saddest smile. I smiled back resting my head on his shoulder.

"So he's been watching you for a long time." Steve summarized nodding a little.

"This was no rush job. Barney planned this to the second." Tony explained with a shake of his head.

"He was going to let me die in front of Clint." I said softly looking to the centre of the table as I remembered the fear, the down right scared look on Clint's face when the knife went into me.

"Then we crashed the party." Tony added, making me look over to him and nod.

"So he still has unfinished business with you two?" Bruce asked looking at everyone.

"He wants me to pay." Clint admitted taking my hand in his. "He wants us to pay."

"Well what will he do now his plan's bust?" Steve asked looking around the table.

"Improvise." Clint sighed rubbing his head with his free hand.

"Well that doesn't sound good." Tony said sarcastically.

"It's not." Clint grunted.

"We're in this together." Natasha said speaking up. "You, me, Flynn, Steve, Bruce, Thor and Tony. We're in this together now. We will find him." She said firmly looking straight into her partners eyes as the pair had another silent conversation.

"We've got Jarvis doing a facial search for your brother." Tony said sighing softly. "He seems to know how to hide well though." He added leaning back in his chair.

"The Great Tony Stark calling quits?" Steve teased a little making Natasha smile.

"No, Capiscal, I'm saying we're doing all we can here. It appears to be a waiting game..." He sighed scrubbing his face.

* * *

A waiting game. Yep a waiting game. Now you'd think a group who called themselves superheroes could wait right? I mean a couple of spies, a master assassin, a scientist, a man frozen for seventy years these people could wait with the best of them; and you'd be right- normally. But mix in a demi-god who ate all the pop tarts in the greater New York area and a billionaire playboy philanthropist and even the patience of a saint would be pushed.

"Cccooommmmeee oooooooonnnnnnn Jarvis! You have to have something!" Tony whined as he paced around the kitchen area. Steve was busy cooking a meal for us all, stating that none of us had really eaten yet. Bruce and Natasha were deep into a game of chess. Clint was sat on the counter chopping vegetables for Steve.

"_I am sorry sir, but I have no new information for you at this time. Perhaps you would like to take this time to make the modifications to the mark 8 you were planning?_" Jarvis suggested making Tony sigh and roll his eyes like a three year old.

"Yes dad." He huffed heading to the door.

"Dinner will be ready in an hour Tony!" Steve called out to him as Tony just waved and walked off.

"Is he always like that?" Wei asked sitting opposite me. He and Marvin had been cleared and we were catching up while the last of my affects wore off. I explained what had happened with Barney and how he had managed to bring down S.W.O.R.D. They had explained how they never believed that I would help someone escape, even if it was Barton. They were still on edge around him, hence him sitting the other side of the room. Thor was lent by the fridge watching them closely too, it appeared Atlantian's and Asguardian's didn't really get on well. Who knew?

"Yeah if he's not got anything to do." I admitted shaking my head.

"How are you feeling?" Marvin asked reaching out and grabbing my hands. Instantly he dropped my hands as if they were on fire, his eyes widening.

"Marv?" Wei asked looking between us.

"How unstable are you becoming Robyn?" Marvin asked ignoring Wei. Wei looked over to me his eyes widening.

"Unstable?" He asked me, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

"The tesseract energy... it's really started to go crazy." I muttered looking down at my hands.

"I can feel it when I touch your skin, it's just below the surface." Marvin said as I met his ocean eyes.

"Yeah, gee that makes me feel better Marv." I joked nervously as I rubbed the back of my neck.

"Sorry." Marvin muttered as Wei glared at his partner.

"So, what does this mean for us? Now S.W.O.R.D is down." Wei asked wrangling his hands as his eyes darted over everyone else in the room, before landing on Thor's. Wei gulped nervously before his eyes darted back to me.

"Ignore Thor, he doesn't like Marv, not you." I sighed rolling my eyes as I caught Thor's attention. "Now we don't have a home, I honestly don't know." I admitted biting my lip. I had to admit to myself, I had a home, I was in it. I was at home with The Avengers, with Clint.

"Do you know what Brand is doing?" Wei asked glancing at Marvin.

"Gathering as many good guys and waiting for us to find Barney." I sighed pushing my hair off my face. "Are they buried?" I asked my eyes darting up to meet Wei's. He glanced at Marvin again and nodded softly.

"We buried them about a week after you disappeared." Wei explained softly.

"It was a small service, but fitting." Marvin added sadly.

"But there's somewhere I can go, right? I mean a gravestone." I said sadly.

"Yeah Flynn, there's a stone." Wei said taking my hands and giving them a small squeeze. A relief washed through me. The knowledge that I could go somewhere and say my goodbyes, it meant the world to me. I nodded smiling sadly as I squeezed his hand back.

"That's good. That's great." I said sadly.

"Do you know when the quin-jet will pick us up?" Marvin asked giving me a soft smile too. I cleared my throat and nodded. I opened my mouth when Tony ran into the kitchen drip white.

"Tony?! What's wrong?" Bruce asked as we all got to our feet. He was shaking, his whole body was shaking as the last of the colour drained from his face.

"Pepper." Was all he managed to say before he dropped to the floor.

* * *

Hope you all enjoyed it! Sorry again for taking so long to update!


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